Dance Partners
by Lucsindark
Summary: It's the month of the Ethereal Moon and the grand ball will soon be upon the students of Garreg Mach. While most students are excited about the upcoming ball and already have an idea of who they want to dance with, one professor in particular struggles to find his answer. Byleth must figure out what Marianne means to him while also dealing with the quirky Golden Deer members.
1. Exciting News at Garreg Mach Monastery

The all too familiar bell rang across Garreg Mach, signaling the end of class and the start of the weekend.  
"Alright, that's it for today's lecture. Certifications are next week, so please remember to study diligently," said Byleth, "Although that might be easier said than done," the professor thought to himself.

It was plain to see that this was going to be the case. Especially during the month of the Ethereal Moon. The long awaited ball was approaching and the students of the Golden Deer House were taking their time to discuss their plans and aspirations for it. In one corner, Lorenz was discussing with Ignatz about proper ballroom etiquette and how to approach a lady, but for the most part Ignatz found the advice to be a bit too upfront for his style.

"Now remember, it is the dream of any noble lady to be wooed by a gentleman, so be sure to stand upright, reach for her hand, and don't bother with names or anything else until after the dance. After all, this is an interview for a potential spouse. No need to get too attached to a lost cause who cannot properly conduct herself on the dance floor," declared Lorenz.

"Um, sure, but I think it might be better for someone like me to at least ask if she wants to dance fir-" Ignatz was cut off.

"Although, once you get to my level of gallantry, there's no need for you to approach. The ladies instead flock to you for the honor of a dance, haha!"

"Honestly, Lorenz are you trying to ruin the night for Ignatz? That's terrible advice!" exclaimed Leonie who had happened to be listening in on the conversation.

The professor had a small smile appear across his face. For the most part he did not express emotion too often, but his students did bring him joy even if he didn't say it aloud. Glancing around the room he continued to look at the rest of them. Lysithea was trying to read a book about advanced dark magic, but even she found it hard to focus with all the talk about the ball. Raphael was enjoying an afternoon snack at his desk while asking a passing student if they knew what food would be served at the ball. Claude and Hilda were as usual discussing the various happenings at Garreg Mach, but Claude's grin no doubt meant that he was coming up with a scheme for the ball. Lastly, looking towards the back he saw Marianne. However, unlike the others, she did not appear to find any excitement about the upcoming dance and instead sat gloomily by herself.

"Marianne," whispered Byleth.

As of lately she was on his mind, although he wasn't exactly sure why this was. The two of them did get along well, but so did he and his other students. Furthermore, his relationship with Marianne wasn't exactly that of best friends. He was her teacher, so while he did listen to her, talk to her, and had even dined with her on more than one occasion, he still kept an element of professionalism with her. Yet, he couldn't deny that compared to the others he did find her and her company to be very agreeable, even if she was very, very shy. This was all the more reason why it pained him to see her so downtrodden, and with this in mind he decided to go and talk with her. However, he did not manage to get too far.

"Teach, got a minute to talk?" asked Claude.

"Hm? Oh," said the professor in a surprised tone.

Claude and Hilda had approached him before he could get very far past his desk. His eyes darted towards the back to where Marianne was, but it did not matter as she began to pack her belongings to head out of the Golden Deer classroom.

"Teach? You got something to do?"

"Claude, you stopped him right before he was about to leave. Of course he was going to do something," said Hilda.

"Ah, right. My bad."

"No, it's fine. It wasn't that pressing. What did you want to talk about?" asked Byleth.

"Oh, I just wanted to talk about what's on everyone else's mind as well; the ball of course. You see Hilda and I made a little bet and we need you to help settle it."

The professor gave a nod.

"Great," said Hilda. "Now Professor, tell us, have you ever been to a ball before? Claude thinks that you haven't, but I personally think that a jack of all trades like yourself has."

Byleth shook his head

"Hah! Told you," exclaimed Claude.

Hilda let out a groan and reluctantly handed over a coin.

"See Teach, I think I've got you all figured out. Although we're not done yet. Our bet did have a second part. Now that we've established that this dance is going to be something new for you, do you have any idea who you're going to dance with?"

Who he was going to dance with? Such a question had surprisingly not dawned upon the professor in spite of the fact that all he had been hearing about so far was the ball. Even though it was a dance for the students the rest of the faculty would be there and so far, he had not heard any rules that stated that they weren't allowed to dance. Nonetheless, it didn't take long for an answer to appear in his mind. Marianne's face quickly popped into his head, but he knew he couldn't just outright give her name to Claude and Hilda.

"Well, I haven't given it much thought, but I suppose I wouldn't mind sharing a dance with someone," replied Byleth.

"Hah, I told you the professor wasn't a total shut out. I'll be taking back that coin now, Claude," Hilda gleefully said.

"Bah, fine," said Claude handing back the coin, "Although, a total shut out? You're really going to call Teach out like that?"

Hilda had noticed that Byleth was now giving both of them a rather downhearted look for considering that he was a loner who did not enjoy interacting with others.

"Ah, well, I didn't mean to say shut out that is. What I meant was that Claude and I merely thought that perhaps you didn't care much to participate in a ball for students."

"Yeah, Hilda's telling the truth. After all everyone here loves you, Teach. That wouldn't be possible if you were some weird loner."

Byleth gave a nod.

"Although, a bit of aloofness isn't that bad," noted Byleth.

"True, a nice bit of mystery around someone does add a bit of charm. It's one of the things I like about ya, Teach... Heh, this new information is gonna make the ball just a bit more.. interesting. Anyway, I'm starving so I'm heading off to the dining hall. Hilda, you coming?"

"Sure, I could use something to eat."

With that, the two of them began to head out of the classroom and towards the dining hall. However, before they were fully outside, Hilda told Claude to go on ahead and that she would catch up.

"Oh, Professor. By the way, sorry about that little slip up back there," said Hilda letting out a sheepish laugh, "Okay, um, don't be mad and I'll do you a little favor. Does that sound nice?"

Byleth merely shook his head with a smirk.

"Go catch up with Claude," he said in an affable manner, "And please, tell him to study."

"Sure thing, Professor!"

She gave a wink and began to run out of the classroom.

"Hmph, I should've told her that that goes double for her as well."

**Author's notes: I had intended to release this chapter as a stand alone and see where things went from there, but in the end I just finished all the way to chapter 9 over a period of several weeks or so. It's actually my first fanfiction so if it sucks just shoot me a message and I'll cease writing. Just kidding, but any reviews for any chapter works well and if I see that there's good reviews/ no bad news I'll probably end up writing more chapters after chapter 9.**


	2. An Unexpected Development

Chapter 2

An Unexpected Development

"I'm impressed, Lysithea. Your grade on the certification exam was nearly flawless."

"It was hardly a challenge, Professor. Did you expect anything less?"

"No, not at all. It's just that with the ball coming up it makes sense that some of the students would be a bit laxer with their studies."

"Well they're just acting like children. Honestly, it's just a dance that's still two weeks away. I don't see what the big deal is."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Lysithea. Even you have been a bit distracted by the ball."

The white-haired girl was slightly taken aback by the professor's words.

"Professor, I think you're mistaken, surely someone like me would never-"

"There's no need to try and hide it, Lysithea," said the professor cutting her off, "Everyone's a bit captivated by it. Today I overheard you ask Raphael if he knew if there would be any sweets after the ball. And last week you could hardly read your sorcery book without constantly looking up to hear news about the dance."

"P-Profesor! That doesn't mean anything!"

Byleth gave her a snarky smile which in turn caused Lysithea to angrily blush. Afterwards, he began packing up his teaching materials, said goodbye to her, and began to head out the door.

"Professor, one more question before you go," said Lysithea.

Byleth nodded.

"So, um, by any chance, would you happen to know if any of the boys have expressed any interest about dancing with me?"

"Well, I can't say for certain."

Lysithea let out a defeated "oh" and lowered her head a bit. Not wanting her to feel upset, Byleth tried to cheer her up.

"Although, I don't see why they wouldn't want to dance with you. You're an attractive young lady, surely you'll have people asking to dance with you."

"Really," said an excited Lysithea. "You'd consider me attractive and ladylike? Thank you, Professor, I feel just a bit more reassured! Whenever I'm in the halls I always hear them talking about Hilda, or Dorothea, or Mercedes. Even someone mentioned wanting to dance with Annette, and she's only a year older than me!"

"Don't overthink it Lysithea. You're not a child that no one takes seriously."

"O-of course I know that! Still, thank you, Professor. By the way, who will you dance with at the ball."

Marianne popped into his mind again, and again he was confused as to why he always associated her face with the ball whenever it was brought up. He hadn't talked to her about it yet, and she likewise had never given any mention of it either. Still, the thought of dancing with Marianne was slowly starting to get to the professor. Almost making him feel giddy. It was strange that he could feel so unbalanced. He had always been able to keep his calm, even in the harshest of battle fields.

"Professor?" asked Lysithea.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about your question. In truth I don't really have much of a solid answer."

"Don't worry about it, I was just making small talk. I'll be going now. Please enjoy the rest of your Sunday."

With those words she packed up and departed. After she had left, Byleth stood still and gazed at nothing in particular. However, he eventually did go back to his desk and pulled out a roster sheet of his class. His eyes glanced over the names but stopped once he got to one name in particular.

"Marianne," said Byleth quietly.

The quiet healer with little to no self confidence. She didn't realize her own worth, but in spite of this Byleth could see that she was invaluable to the team. There weren't many injuries she couldn't heal, and she was always so gentle. Her grades weren't bad either and while she had a very tired and sorrowful look, it was very clear that she was still very beautiful. However, was the Professor only seeing her as a valuable student, or rather as something different.

"Argh, enough already!"

He became irritated by his indecisive mind and decided that instead of playing a guessing game, that he should instead just go talk to her and get his confusions out of the way. If anything, maybe he was feeling this way because he just felt sorry for her and didn't want her to miss out on friendship. He couldn't exactly rule out that this was nothing more than simple compassion. After all, there weren't many occasions when he felt that emotion before coming to Garreg Mach to say that this wasn't it. With his mind finally made up, he repacked his belongings and decided to go look for her. It was just past 2:00 so she had probably already eaten and most likely was either in her room or perhaps taking care of the horses in the stables.

Either way, the professor did not mind searching for her. The chilly winds of the Ethereal Moon made it a pleasant walk, and he enjoyed seeing regular life go by, life that wasn't just marching from battle to battle as a mercenary. He saw Leonie talking with Shamir and Catherine with Catherine putting Leonie in a friendly headlock and Shamir letting out a sigh of embarrassment. He eventually got to the dorms and managed to run into Sylvain who gave the professor a wave as he dashed off with flowers in hand, likely for a female student at the academy. Arriving at Marianne's door, he gave a knock and waited for a reply.

"Marianne, it's me. Do you have a moment?"

There was no reply, which meant that Byleth would be dropping by the stables next. After making his way there he didn't see her there either.

"She couldn't be in the Cathedral, could she?"

"P-Professor, are you looking for someone?"

That voice took Byleth by surprise as he spun around quickly. Marianne stood before him and in his shocked turn around he accidentally kicked a bucket of water that was on the ground towards a resting cat. It spilled on the poor animal, which loudly hissed at Byleth and tried to swipe at him, but he jumped aside, and it ran off. Marianne, however, was completely taken aback and was as equally startled at the sudden, swift, and unexpected reactions of the professor. Byleth let out an angry grunt.

"Sorry, it's not like me to be this jumpy," said he.

"N- no. It's my fault. I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that," replied Marianne.

"No, it was me. I don't know why I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings."

"No, you shouldn't have to. We're not on a battlefield here after all. I just always bring misfortune to others. It's nothing you did."

"No, it was…"

Seeing as how this conversation could quickly go in a circle, Byleth instead just decided to say that it didn't matter anymore and hoped that he and Marianne would be able to get past this silly circle of self blame.

"O-Okay," said Marianne sheepishly.

"Right," replied Byleth.

An awkward silence fell over the two for a rather noticeable moment. Byleth began to feel tense, but he was unsure why. What was it about her that made him feel so self-aware about every simple thing?

"Umm. Did you need help looking for someone?" Marianne finally asked.

"Ah, right, said Byleth, "I was actually looking for you."

"Oh," said a surprised Marianne. "Did you need something from me?"

"No."

"Then, have I done something wrong?"

"Not that I'm aware of. I was actually just coming by to talk to you."

"O-Okay, w-well did you have anything you wanted to talk about?"

"Actually, I was hoping there was something that you wished to talk about for a change," said the professor.

"I'm sorry, but I really can't think of anything right now. It's not your fault. I'm just not any good at talking with others. All I do is get in the way."

Hearing this saddened him. Sure, she wasn't the easiest person to hold a conversation with, but once you managed to break through her initial barrier of shyness it became much easier to feel natural around her. Still, the professor refused to give up that easily and instead decided to try again.

"Have more confidence, Marianne. I don't think that you're a bother. If you were, I wouldn't have gone looking for you. Surely, there's at least something you wish to discuss," said Byleth.

"N-no. I'm sorry.

Seeing that the mood had grown rather discouraging and not wanting to try and awkwardly force it to get any better, Byleth instead decided to simply say that they could perhaps talk again another time. He gave her a smile and began to walk away. He was anything but content though. He cursed under his breath and began to feel angry at his inability to connect with a simple student. He was a professor after all and being unable to even hold a conversation bothered him greatly. This time especially because it involved Marianne.

"Actually, Professor!" said Marianne in a rushed tone.

Byleth turned around and gave her a nod. She had grabbed his attention and he was eagerly awaiting her next words.

"There is something I do want to talk about. It's about the upcoming ball. Is it ok if we talk about that?"

He instantly became delighted that she was reaching out to talk to him. It gave him a newfound sense of motivation and made him cheerful that he would get to spend time with Marianne. Additionally, they were going to talk about the ball, the very thing that had been on his mind for the past two weeks.

"I'm happy to talk about that… Although, perhaps we should have a change of scenery. How about you join me for tea?"

The moment those words came out of Byleth's mouth made him feel as though he had gotten punched in the gut by Raphael. Tea?! He could barely hold a conversation for a minute with her and now he wanted to have a whole tea session with her?

"How did you get a job as a teacher?!" thought Byleth to himself.

However, before he could torment himself over it any longer, Marianne let out a bashful smile that almost instantly caused his mind to go blank.

"Okay, s-sure."


	3. Teatime for Two

Chapter 3

Teatime for Two

Time seemed to be moving at a faster than normal rate for Byleth. While spending time with Marianne was not something new to him, he had never truly spent any alone time with her. He always ate with two or more students in the cafeteria, and he had never cooked with her before. In fact, he hardly cooked at all for the most part. The thought of the two of them being alone excited him, and he wanted to avoid having any awkward moments while they drank together. This would explain why he was rushing to have everything ready to go to avoid any last-minute fumbles. Arriving at his room, he unlocked the door and went to retrieve the tea set. Ferdinand had given it to him a while ago, but Byleth had yet to make any real use of it. Luckily, he had kept it clean, and after grabbing the teapot, cups, and plates he quickly made his way to the dining hall to boil water and to grab some snacks.

"Professor, what are you up to?"

He looked up and saw Hilda standing to the side of him.

"Hello, Hilda," said Byleth

"Ohh what a cute tea set! Is it yours?"

Byleth gave a nod.

"I didn't know you were a fan of tea. Personally, I would've thought you were more of an alcohol type of guy."

"I enjoy it every now and then and I figured today was a good day to have some."

"I see what you mean. Everyone's up and about because the weather is so beautiful! But, it's also kind of a pain because I can't find anyone to clean my room for me. Everyone is busy with something. Even Lorenz and Ignatz are too busy to help and they've always been able to lend a hand in the past," said she in an annoyed tone.

Byleth gave her a nod and went back to watching the water boil. While that was happening, he looked around for something to place the treats on, and after finding a neatly woven basket, he began to grab several treats that he thought Marianne might like.

"You know, Professor I noticed that you grabbed more than one teacup. Who are you having tea with?" said Hilda in a curious and flirty tone.

"Just Marianne. She had something she wanted to discuss," replied the professor.

"Just Marianne," said Hilda in a facetious tone with a sly smile.

The professor gave her side-eyed glance, but did not let Hilda's comment distract him too much. After all it was just tea. He had no real ulterior motives, nor did he expect anything to come out of it. He just wanted to spend some time with her.

"Am I not allowed to have tea with my students?" asked Byleth.

"Of course you're allowed, Professor! Don't be silly!"

Another nod was given to Hilda.

"Marianne's a really sweet girl. She's a bit clumsy at times, but once you get to know her she makes for great company."

"Is that so?" asked Byleth.

"Yeah, of course! If you've got any questions about her I'd be happy to answer. C'mon what do you want to know? Her hobbies? Books she likes?"

"I don't think that'll be necessary. I'm just going to talk about a question that she had."

"Ugh, Professor! All work and no play is so dull! Anyway, I've gotta get going. Enjoy your tea party!"

Hilda gave a wave and began to leave. Before she was out of sight though, Byleth called out to her to her.

"Ohhh, so there was something you wanted to know after all?" asked Hilda.

"Would you happen to know what type of tea she likes?"

"Hmmm you know I just might. But, if you want me to tell you you'll have to do me a little favor first."

"Hilda," said Byleth with just a bit of determination behind him.

"Ahaha, just kidding, Professor! You can be a bit expressive when you want something, you know? A girl could get used to that side of you," said Hilda in a joking manner, "It's lavender by the way. Seeya!"

With a spring in her step she left the dining hall and went on her way. Byleth had just finished gathering the rest of the sweets and made his way to the garden. He told Marianne that she should meet him in thirty minutes, and he had finished all of his preparations with five minutes remaining. He set the table and pulled out a chair. Another giddy sensation fell over him as time drew nearer. However, now it felt like his life was moving in slow motion. He remembered that Shamir had taught him a breathing exercise to conceal his presence, and he figured that it could also be used to help him find his focus.

"Professor?"

"Oh, Marianne. Please, take a seat."

"Thank you."

He noticed that her movements were a bit rigid. He had hoped that she would have grown to be a bit more comfortable around him, but it was to be expected. Marianne did not interact with others often and this was probably her first time having tea with someone of the opposite gender at Garreg Mach.

"Oh," exclaimed Marianne.

"What is it?" asked Byleth in a concerned tone.

"This tea! It's my absolute favorite!"

Her face brightened up and a wide smile formed across it. Byleth's mood instantly improved and a small smile appeared across his face. Seeing Marianne smile like that was a treat in and of itself. In fact, Byleth began to feel similar to how he felt when he and the students had won their first mock battle against the Black Eagles and the Blue Lions.

"I'm glad that you like it. Please have some."

He handed her a cup and she thanked him for doing so. She began to take small sips and even winced a little bit at first because of how warm the tea was. Byleth thought that this was incredibly adorable. She had a childish innocence about her when she was relaxed. Almost as if she were like a delicate lily in a wide open field.

"It looks like you've stumbled across a bit of extra credit, Hilda," Byleth thought to himself.

After she had finished sipping her tea, Marianne met Byleth's gaze. A flash of embarrassment came over her though, and she ended up quickly glancing away. This caused a fluttery sensation to come over the professor. He didn't expect this to happen to him, but she was just too cute that he was completely caught off guard. His body became light as air and he felt a wave of warmth wash over him.

"Right, so, when we last saw each other you wanted to speak about the ball."

"O-oh y-yes. Um, I wanted to get your opinion on whether or not it would be ok for me to miss it."

"Miss it?" said Byleth in a concerned tone, "Why wouldn't you want to go?"

"Well, it's just that I don't really fare well in crowds and I don't think that anyone will want to dance with me anyways. I'd probably just take up space or end up looking awkward."

Byleth became a bit disheartened by her words, but he wasn't just going to allow her to not attend because she was scared. Even if he had no plans for the night, he still wanted to see her there, even if just for a bit.

"Marianne, I'm not sure if I'm the most qualified person to speak about the ball, as I've never been to one, but I still think that you should go. You're only going to get to see it once after all."

"I suppose so, but still."

"Well how about this? Why not stay for an hour or so, and if you don't like it you can go. And don't worry too much about dance partners. I'm sure Hilda wouldn't mind being your partner for a bit, and she can certainly introduce you to others if you want."

"I- I don't really have too much of an interest when it comes to dancing with others and I don't want to just follow Hilda around and bother her," replied Marianne.

"Well the ball will more or less be going on all night. People will be taking breaks and socializing so you could just and blend in like that. I'll also be there, so please don't hesitate to come and talk to me."

"Are you sure. I don't want to steal the night from you."

"I have no intention of dancing the entire night. So please, don't feel bad about talking with me."

"Alright."

"And it doesn't just have to be talking. I'd love to dance with you as well," Byleth mumbled quickly.

"What was that?"

"Oh, ah, nothing. I was just reminding myself that the Archbishop wanted to see me later today."

The two continued to talk with each other about various topics and both of them became wrapped up in their conversations. Marianne had calmed down significantly and Byleth likewise no longer felt awkward and for once wasn't plagued by perplexity when thinking or interacting with Marianne.

"Professor?" asked Marianne.

Byleth gave her a nod.

"Thank you for spending time with me. Even if you're only doing it because you feel sorry for me," she said.

"What?" asked Byleth in a worried tone, "Why would you say that?"

"You don't have to pretend for my sake, I know that I'm just a burden that you have to look out for because you're my professor."

Byleth couldn't let Marianne think like this. Her impressions about him were completely off and if he did not clarify himself then the two of them could end up with a false, flawed relationship or worse. Of course Byleth wanted to see her get better and wanted to help her, but this was not why he spent time with her.

"I think you're mistaken, Marianne. Sure, I would like to see you become a bit happier and more confident, but I'm not doing this because I want to fix you. I'm doing this because I genuinely enjoy spending time with you and with my students."

"But what's special or enjoyable about me? I'm just pitiful."

He had to choose his words carefully now. If he spoke too conservatively she would most likely think that he was just being generic with her to make her feel better. Likewise, if he spoke too liberally then he would definitely come on too strongly and could make her feel uncomfortable. This would also be one of the moments where he would finally see just what it was that drew her to him.

"Well one of the best things about you is how gentle and kind you are," said Byleth.

"G-gentle and kind?" asked Marianne.

"Yes. being around you puts me at peace. It's as if you're in your own little tranquil world and when I talk with you it feels like I get to be a part of it as well. You're never spiteful and you always think of the needs of others. You're invaluable to the Golden Deer as both a healer and a person, and I'm grateful that I get to be your professor. You may not see it now, but I wouldn't trade you for any student."

After hearing this Marianne bowed her head and refused to make eye contact. She stayed silent and Byleth was unsure what to make of this.

"Oh fantastic, I must've been too bold with my words. She must be completely uneasy right now," thought Byleth.

However, she slowly did begin to lift her head, and with blushed cheeks she let out a small, but meaningful "thank you."


	4. Operation: White Heron Waltz

Chapter 4

Operation: White Heron Waltz

"So, that's who we're dealing with," said Ignatz

"Sheesh, they're really not pulling any punches this year," noted Raphael

"I must agree. The house choices this year are ever so splendid," commented Flayn.

"Well it looks pretty daunting from here, but we can't just throw in the towel yet," Claude remarked.

While he did not believe the fight was completely lost before it began, Byleth did feel uneasy about who his representative would be facing in the White Heron Cup. He had been told by Rhea about the ancient tradition at Garreg Mach during the first Sunday of the month and had only now just found out a day before the cup who the Black Eagles and Blue Lions had chosen.

"Dorothea and Annette… I've got to hand it to them, Manuela and Hanneman know what they're doing. And they've managed to keep it a secret in hopes that the other houses would have no idea as to what they were truly going up against. A fine scheme indeed," said Byleth.

"Just what I was thinking, Teach. If we or another house knew that Dorothea or Annette were to be dancing, then training for this would've been intense. But by making it seem like it's just going to be two regular students- well lower expectations means lower effort," replied Claude.

"Ahh, Dorothea. A renowned songstress whose beauty is second only to her voice. And of course, Annette, while not as seductive as Dorothea, she has practically every student defeated when it comes cuteness and adorableness," noted Lorenz.

"While that's a fine observation, Lorenz, I must say that did sound a bit too rehearsed to be spontaneous, I hope you don't fantasize about them too much" giggled Flayn.

"Wh- Why I would never!"

"Alright, alright back to more pressing matters," exclaimed Claude. "Like Teach said, it was a fine scheme, but don't forget that no one is a better schemer than yours truly!"

"You've got a plan that'll help us win this?" asked Ignatz.

"Claude, you can't poison their food," said Byleth.

"Haha, easy there, Teach. It's nothing that sinister this time. Instead, think of it more like the Sword of the Creator. A powerful weapon- useless in the wrong hands, but when the right person wields it…"

Claude's words had managed to draw all eyes on him. The others were trying to see if perhaps these were just empty promises, but they soon realized that this wasn't the case. They could see it in his eyes that he believed that he had found the map to buried treasure. Whatever he was about to reveal surely wouldn't be just an empty bluff.

"Alright, Claude enough with the suspense. Just what is this supposed secret weapon of yours?" Lorenz asked dubiously.

Reaching into his shirt, Claude pulled out a rather old and worn out book and laid it down on the professor's desk. On the very dulled cover was a drawing of a lady, dancing under a moonlit sky.

"Your grand scheme is to read to the judges?" said Lorenz is a condescending tone.

"Lorenz for someone who's a noble you sure lack knowledge when it comes to dance. The name of the author is too blurred to be seen anymore, but the rest of the book is in pretty good condition. Anyway, this book contains a complete summary of dance techniques that have been used by dancers in the past to win the White Heron Cup. No one ever bothers to read it because it looks so bleak, but I recognize the value of history when I see it."

"Incredible!" exclaimed Ignatz.

"Nice going, Claude!" said Raphael.

"This all sounds so exciting!" exclaimed Flayn.

Byleth was impressed that Claude had managed to find such a valuable book from the library. It almost seemed too good to be true that it would exist, but here it was, lying before Byleth and his students.

"Impressive, Claude. It seems like you've found is an ace in the hole. Still, there is a problem. How is Hilda going to find time to memorize all these techniques?" asked Lorenz.

"Not to worry. Hilda and I already looked it over. We don't need to have her memorize all of the winning forms, we just had to find her one that resonated with her style and her charm, which we did."

"And Hilda just up and decided to learn this without any push back? Isn't she a bit uh… lazy?" asked Raphael.

"No one denies that she's probably the laziest nobel in all of Fódlan, but when it comes to dancing she certainly doesn't hold anything back. She's been practicing since last night believe it or not."

"I guess that explains why she fell asleep during my lecture today. I'll have to apologize for putting her on stable duty as punishment," said Byleth.

"Haha, good one, Teach. But anyway, at the end of the day the judges are going to be looking for something memorable. There's no point in trying to compete with Dorothea's attractiveness or Annette's cuteness. That'll only put us at a disadvantage and will make us generic. Instead, we have to let Hilda's own unique beauty and charm speak for itself."

"Oh how romantic, Claude!" exclaimed Flayn.

Claude began to blush and tense up. This caused the rest of the group to have a good laugh at his expense. Even the professor let out a hearty chuckle, which was a rare sight indeed.

"Ah, well I just mean that of course Dorothea and Annette are attractive, but so is Hilda. I only meant that she shouldn't try to be like them. Because Hilda's attractive in her own ways too."

"You're already six feet under, Claude. Don't bury yourself any deeper," said Ignatz jokingly.

"Should I tell Hilda that you think she's beautiful?" asked Flayn.

"Yeah, do it for him, Flayn! She'll be so happy she might even take him out to dinner!" exclaimed Raphael.

"Or maybe she'll even do him a favor for once," joked Lorenz.

Another round of laughter burst from the group as Claude began to grumble under his breath. A tear began to roll out of Byleth's eye from all the laughing he and the group were doing. It was amazing how in the span of a few month's this monastery had become his home and his students his closest allies.

"Alright I think we've had our fun for now," said a gleeful Byleth, "Claude, go find Hilda and tell her to meet me later on today so that I can watch her dance. We'll go out into the training grounds, there shouldn't be anyone there to watch us. The rest of you are welcome to bring the others, but don't act suspicious. We can't have people stealing Hilda's techniques or interrupting her training," said the professor.

"Got it, Teach. Operation: White Heron Waltz is a go."


	5. Teasing at Sunset

Chapter 5

Teasing at Sunset

"Wow!"

"Amazing! Those movements… it's like the dance has taken on a completely different form!"

"Those added techniques were simple in principle, and yet they've added a whole new layer of emotion to the dance."

"It's gone from being just a routine to being something that just brings out Hilda's spirit."

"Hilda looked so lovely when she danced. It was like watching an actual professional."

Raphael, Ignatz, Lysithea, Leonie, and Marianne had praised Hilda's improved upon dance routine very deservingly. While the White Heron Cup still had a form to follow, it did allow each dancer to add individuality to it, and Hilda had greatly succeeded in doing so. Her dancing in the beginning was very admirable, but now it was totally enchanting. The gaze that she now held on her face was ensnaring, the flow of the dance was no longer just fluid, but also graceful, and each movement carried a weight of its own. Her stances had become more defined as if they were meant to be painted on canvas for all to see and her extensions fully captured the elegance she wanted to convey.

"Awww, you guys are too sweet," said an ecstatic Hilda.

"Well, Teach, if that last performance was anything to go off of I'd say that we've got this in the bag," said Claude.

"So it would seem," replied Byleth.

"Of course we do! There's no way I'm going to lose now," said Hilda, "Although getting stable duty as the reward for all my hard work wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

"Oh, right. Sorry about that. I had no idea about the lengths you had gone to for the cup and for the Golden Deer. You don't have to do stable duty anymore and I'll even let you skip class tomorrow to get any extra rest or practice."

"Really?! Professor, you're the best!"

"Even though I'm not dancing I feel so excited for tomorrow! We're gonna win this for sure!" exclaimed Leonie.

Byleth gave her a nod and a smile. He too was excited for tomorrow's cup and had the utmost faith in Hilda and her dancing.

"Oh, Professor, I've been meaning to ask. Do you even know how to dance?" asked Leonie.

"I've never been to anything formal, but Jeralt did make sure that I at least knew the basics."

"Captain Jeralt taught you how to dance? Well in that case I'll have to do my best to learn at the ball! I can't tell him that his favorite apprentice is lacking in an area that he thinks is important."

"Truly, it's not that important. He just wanted to make sure that I didn't embarrass myself if I ever did have to dance."

"Well it's a good thing that Claude ended up finding the book. Your instructions for war are amazing professor, but your dance instructions do need some polishing," noted Hilda.

"I'll… take it under consideration," replied Byleth.

Hearing the banter caused Marianne to let out a sweet little laugh. It made the others around her glad to see it every now and then.

"You really should laugh more, Marianne. It suits you," said Leonie.

"Yeah, it's nice to hear it," said Lysithea.

"On that front, I too must agree," said Lorenz.

"Oh. Thank you," replied Marianne.

For such a rag tag group of students, they really were able to come together when it mattered most. Everyone was rallied around Hilda and each had complete faith that she would win. In many ways, Byleth's class had the brotherhood of mini army, although this one was much better he thought to himself. With a smile on his face, he began to speak again.

"Well, if everything's settled, I'd say it's about time that we head back."

"Actually, Professor can you and Marianne do something for me? It'll really help me with my dance," said Hilda.

"Us?" said both Byleth and Marianne in a surprised tone.

"Yeah, I just needed any two people to help me. Anyway, Professor, please hold Marianne."

"W-w-w-what?!" exclaimed Marianne.

"Oh relax, I just need to picture the ending stance for my dance. Having two people do it will help me visualize it better. Professor, get a move on now, it's getting dark."

Byleth gulped and looked over towards Marianne. Her face was as red as a tomato and she couldn't keep eye contact to save her life. He himself couldn't believe that Hilda would be so bold to pull a prank like this, but here she was.

"Professor, c'mon it's getting late!" exclaimed Hilda.

"R-right," replied Byleth.

Why was he going along with this? Well, the answer didn't matter. His body began to move on its own accord, and he couldn't think straight. Marianne on the other hand looked like a cornered animal. Her face a dark shade of red and her hands clasped tightly in front of her. Seeing her like this however was enough to snap the professor back to his senses.

"Marianne, if you don't want to do this, I can just ask another student instead."

A brief pause went by.

"N-no. I-it's fine," said she in a tone that was mixed with embarrassment, but also eagerness.

Byleth extended his hand and she quickly grasped it. Her hands were incredibly soft and fragile like and holding them caused Byleth's mind to go blank for a moment. Marianne then quickly placed her trembling hand on his shoulder and Byleth likewise wrapped his around her waist. This caused Marianne to slightly shudder and Byleth felt a surge of tension in his body.

"Hmm. I can almost see it," said Hilda, "But… Oh I see! You two need to get closer!"

"Wait, what?!" said Byleth.

Before he could protest Hilda got behind Marianne and pushed her closer to Byleth. Their faces were now mere inches apart from each other and both had practically frozen. Byleth felt a cold sweat dripping down his neck and Marianne's face was a completely darker shade of red now than before. Her eyes were wide open almost like she was in a state of shock.

"Yep, Yep. That's a sight I won't be forgetting," said Hilda trying her hardest not to laugh.

The two quickly broke away and Marianne retreated behind the other students. Byleth stood awkwardly and tried his best to regain his composure. Even though the moment lasted for no more than a few seconds, it felt like an absolute eternity.

"You know I wouldn't mind using Divine Pulse just this once," said a voice in Byleth's head.

"Quiet!" snapped Byleth's mind.

"Okay, well that was… interesting. Let's head back now," said Claude.

The Golden Deer began walking back, with Marianne walking a pace faster than all of them. Byleth walked in the back, hoping that he had not embarrassed himself too much.

"What's up with those two?" he heard Raphael whisper to Ignatz.

"Raphael you truly are all brawn and no brains," replied Lysithea.

"Heyyy…," said Raphael in a hurt tone.

As they were heading back from the training field, Hilda playfully skipped up to Byleth and began to walk next to him.

"You hate me, don't you?" asked Byleth.

"Oh don't be silly, Professor. Don't tell me you didn't like that."

"Dare I ask what made you decide to pull such a prank?"

"Claude told me about what happened earlier today. It was funny, don't get me wrong, but I figured a little revenge was in order."

With that she gave a playful wink and jogged off to rejoin the rest of the Golden Deer.

"Those two are perfect for each other," thought Byleth to himself.


	6. The Day of the Contest

Chapter 6

The Day of the Contest

The students had gathered and had taken their seats to watch the competition between the three houses. With the ball not too far away, the White Heron Cup served as a reminder for the excitement to come and of course, it stoked the flames of rivalry between the houses. The atmosphere was becoming ripe with excitement, as students began betting on who would win.

"Dorothea was an opera singer. No way a professional's going to lose."

"Sorry, but Annette is just way too pretty. No one can resist someone like that."

"Hilda made me do her chores for her once… She's still hot though."

The professor did not doubt Hilda's prowess in the least, but even he recognized that Dorothea and Annette were more than a challenge. Looking towards the stage he saw the dancers begin to take their place. Cheers erupted from the crowd and the nervousness within Byleth skyrocketed.

"Hilda, let's win this," he thought to himself.

As if she had read his mind. Hilda turned around, and seeing where the professor was sitting, gave him a wave. Byleth began to feel a bit more relaxed by Hilda's own confidence and he hoped that she was genuinely feeling as assured as she was acting. Moments later, Alois, Professor Manuela, and Shamir also took to the center and Alois began giving introductions.

"P-Professor? Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Marianne. Please, be my guest."

The timid girl gave a small smile and took her place next to Byleth. She had made it just in time and just as she sat down, Alois finished his speech and the room had fallen silent; ready to watch the three ladies perform. Then, the music began and the three dancers began to move. Each waltzed with their own unique style and Byleth could tell from the start that this contest would be no easy victory. Manuela and Hanneman had outdone themselves with their choices and judging by how engrossed the crowd was in all three; perfect performances would be expected from each contestant. This same mentality could be felt from the three ladies as well. Each was clearly taking this very seriously and was determined to outperform the other and secure a house victory.

As they danced, Byleth began to make mental notes about their particular styles and approaches. Dorothea danced as would be expected of a renown a performer. Her moves were meant to control the stage and scenery, and her beautiful looks and figure made it easy for her to do. It seemed her intent was to use her presence and looks to drown out the others. Annette on the other hand, had placed a lot of attention on making her style appear as cute and attractive as possible. Her approach was to steal glances and gazes, and in doing so remove the focus from the other two and allow for the spotlight to fall on herself. She may not have been as polished as Dorothea, but she clearly had her outclassed when it came to the factor of adorableness. Then there was Hilda, whose waltzing was definitely proving to be an effective and deadly force on the dance floor as well. She was already an expert in using her charm to manipulate others and to gather affection, and now that she was combining it with her newfound dance techniques, she was proving to be a serious threat to the success of the other houses. Byleth himself was captivated by her skill and he thought that watching her was almost like watching scenes from a painting come to life. Still, this contest was far from over and he found it almost impossible to predict a winner- all three were virtually equal with their respective skills. Byleth, like the others, was practically enthralled by the dancers and didn't want it to end, but his focus was broken by an all too familiar girl.

"I can't watch! I'm so nervous for Hilda!" said Marianne.

She then reached for his arm and held onto it tightly. Doing this staggered the professor and briefly managed to make him forget about the dancing. However, he quickly composed himself and whispered to Marianne not to worry and that Hilda would definitely come out on top.

The three dancers had put their hearts and souls into their performances, and soon their waltzes would be coming to an end. It would be there that they would make sure that their final movements would leave awe-inspiring impressions on the audience. Finally, the music reached its finale and each dancer struck their final pose. The crowd stood up and a roar of applause erupted as the dancers gave their bows.

"That was amazing!"

"I wish it was longer, they danced so well!"

"I'm so glad I'm not a judge! I'd never be able to choose!"

The energy in the room was ecstatic and strangely enough the professor felt himself being taken away by the enthusiasm as well.

"Excellent, Hilda!" he yelled from the stands.

Hilda heard his words and gave him a wink. She also gave a wave to the person standing next to the professor. Byleth looked over and saw that Marianne was cheerfully clapping as well. Seeing her smile with such joy put a large grin on his face that could've made anyone feel happy upon seeing Marianne.

"Bravo! Superb! Fantastic," said Alois to the crowd, "I'm not sure about the rest of our judges, but I can say that it's almost impossible for me to choose!"

The moment of truth was now here, and just as soon as the excitement had started, it quickly died down and the room was now filled with anticipation. Everyone was on the edge of their seats- waiting for the winner to be announced.

"Shamir, if you would please start us off," said Alois.

"I vote for… the Black Eagle House. Yours was the most professional."

Byleth felt a lump in his throat. It was up to Manuela's vote to tie them up. She had said that she wouldn't be biased towards her own house and Byleth hoped her words were true.

"Excellent!" exclaimed Alois, "Now, Professor Manuela!"

"Oh my, well I vote for… the Golden Deer House! Watching you was simply… breathtaking! Oh, my heart is still fluttering!"

A wave of excitement. Now it was time for the tiebreaker.

"Great feedback all of you," said Alois, "Well now, factoring in my own humble opinion… Yes, it seems that we have a winner! And I will announce who it is… right now! Without any delay!"

"Hurry up before I kill you," Byleth thought to himself.

"The winner of this year's White Heron Cup is… The Golden Deer House!"

The students and their professor shot up with elation and let out a giant round of applause for Hilda. She was practically glowing by this point and even gave a springy jump to boot. Byleth was beyond proud of all the effort that Hilda had put into this contest for the Golden Deer and was beyond delighted to see the happiness that she had brought the others as well.

"Great job, Hilda!" exclaimed Lysithea.

"Alright, Hilda!" yelled a blushing Claude.

"Aww yeah! Hilda!" roared Raphael.

A fantastic job indeed, Byleth thought to himself. He had not seen any White Heron Cups prior to this, but he had no doubt that this one was a particularly challenging one compared to others.

"Professor, she did it!" exclaimed an excited Marianne.

She then spread out her arms and embraced the professor. Byleth likewise returned her hug, but the both of them quickly realized their public display of affection and blushingly broke it off before anyone could notice. After their short victory hurrah, Alois told the other students, some happy and some dismayed, to give another round of congratulations to the dancers. Dorothea was being consoled by Manuela, but still managed to give Hilda a sincere message of congratulations. Annette likewise congratulated Hilda, and while she was sad that she did not receive a vote, she was glad that she had her friends and Professor Hanneman to support her.

"So Felix, I heard you were taking Annette out for a steak dinner as congratulations for her participation," said Sylvain teasingly.

"What are you even talking about, Sylvain?" asoed a scornful Felix.

"You're taking me out for dinner?! Oh, oh, what time are we going?!" Annette asked excitedly.

"We're not go…," Felix let out a sigh after seeing her electrified face, "Seven o' clock."

"Yay! Woo!" yelled Annette.

"What ever will we do with you, Sylvain?" asked Ingrid.

"All things considered; this is a great deal of progress. At least he's not the one doing the skirt chasing this time," noted Dimitri.

Byleth began to think that they were another interesting group as well and was glad to see that the moods of everyone were quickly improving.

"Hey, Teach. It's celebration time. Don't you want to spend some time with your Golden Deer?" asked Claude.

Byleth gave a friendly nod and walked over towards his beloved students. There was never a dull moment with them, and he hoped there would be many more like this to come, and with the dance right around the corner there was sure to be something.

"Marianne… I wonder," thought Byleth to himself, "No, I can worry about that later. For now, I want to spend time not just with her, but with all of them."

**Author's notes: This chapter was actually the most difficult for me to write. I had trouble trying to figure out how much emphasis I should have put on the White Heron Cup. I wanted it to be serious and competitive, but not too detailed and over exaggerated. The first time it sounded way too dramatic and the second time it sounded brisk and unimportant. The third time it was written was a good blend. It felt like a serious contests that required skill, but not too crazy that it sounded like The Rockettes were the one's performing instead of the three girls. Ultimately this one in particular took a week to write. **


	7. The Night of the Ball

Chapter 7

The Night of the Ball

The night was finally here. After nearly a month of anticipation, excitement, and scheming the ball was finally upon the students and faculty of Garreg Mach. Byleth was in his quarters; he still had one hour left before he had to make his way to where the dance was to be held. Unfortunately for him, time seemed to be moving beyond slowly and his nerves were most likely to blame for this. He was excited- he had no idea how the night would turn out or what to expect from it, but he had a feeling that something grand was in store. Furthermore, he had made a vow with his students on the eve of this night; that they would reunite at Garreg Mach in five years. Claude had said that the idea had seemed impossible, but even still Byleth believed that if Claude could dream it, it could come true. The prospect of a reunion with his students five years from now, and the dance soon descending upon them was occupying almost every corner of the professor's mind.

Additionally, there was Marianne. She said that she would be there, much to Byleth's delight, but that was only one part of the battle to come. He was now lying on his bed- spending his time planning on where he and she would go from there. In his mind he thought of how to find Marianne amongst the crowd, how and when he should ask her to dance, what type of song she would feel most comfortable dancing to, what he should say to her after they had finished their dance. All of these thoughts raced through his head during the last moments before the ball, and he was mentally preparing for any situation that could arise. There was no point in denying it anymore, he had fallen for Marianne and now wanted to do all that he could to be with her. As unprofessional as it sounded, he couldn't deny that it made sense. She would be graduating soon and after that her father would try to marry her off to a rich and powerful noble. Byleth was neither of those things and realized that her father would not be pleased by the prospect of him courting Marianne. Still, he couldn't give up and his case wasn't completely hopeless. He wielded immeasurable power through the Sword of the Creator, and did have connections with Rhea and Claude, the future sovereign duke. All things considered; he could work his way up in society if need be.

"Hmph. Only fifteen minutes have gone by," thought Byleth to himself.

"Well you're not going to find time moving any faster by simply moping around in here. Go for a walk or do something productive," said Sothis in a reprimanding tone.

The professor sat up and put on his overcoat. Opening his door, he stepped outside and felt the brisk, chill air of the Ethereal Moon brush across his face. Even the air was able to make his body race. Every touch seemed to rile up his emotions. Putting this behind him though, he began to walk the grounds of the familiar monastery and enjoyed the peaceful night. Looking around during his walk he noticed students, filled with varying degrees of emotions. Some excited about the ball and discussing who they would dance with, others sad- no doubt as a result of complicated young love, and others feeling nervous about the dance or indifferent.

"I must say, these people are showing mixed feelings about this dance. You would think that they would be happy to attend such an enjoyable event. And what of you, how are you feeling now?" asked Sothis.

"I suppose excited," replied Byleth.

"I suppose that makes sense. I won't bother talking about your nonstop obsession with that one girl, but I will wish you luck with your advances. After all, I am eager to see the dance myself, and I cannot have you moping about and ignoring all of the merriment."

"I understand," said Byleth.

He continued to walk for a bit longer and tried to use this as an opportunity to clear his mind and to compose himself. Garreg Mach was luckily filled with many beautiful sights and these did help to calm him down. After continuing to walk for some time he looked up at the glowing moon and breathed the fresh air into his lungs. Gazing around, he began to see students making their way towards the dance.

"Well, I'd say it's almost about time. You should probably get a move on now," noted Sothis.

The professor gave a nod and began following the students. Each drawing moment caused butterflies to flutter in his stomach and his body pressed forward by itself- without a thought in his mind. Looking around he found a spot where few people were and stood there. He began to take notice of the hall; there weren't any special decorations of sorts, but that was not necessary. The candle lit hall at night was beautiful enough and offered the perfect scenery for a dance like this. It was still early, so only a handful of students were currently present. They spent their time idly talking to each other- simply trying to find ways to distract themselves from their excitement. Rhea, Hanneman, and Manuela eventually made their way to the hall as well. Byleth talked with them for a bit and as time continued to pass the hall continued to become more and more crowded.

The professor was now standing by a few unfamiliar students. He had finished his own conversations with the others and now chatter filled the atmosphere. The ball was to begin soon, and an eagerness filled the professor. His mind was still on Marianne, and he began gazing around the crowds trying to find her. She was not with the rest of the Golden Deer students who had found a section for themselves, and a quick ping of worriment filled his mind. He thought that perhaps she had not decided to show up after all, but he wasn't about to give up on her yet. He continued to look around the hall, gazing past student after student until finally something caught his eye. Towards the back he saw a shy blue haired girl- Marianne. No sooner than after he had found her, he heard the strings of the violins begin to reverberate across the hall. It was time to open the ball.

The melodious notes began to play and students with their chosen partners made their way to the center. Byleth figured that it would be a poor opportunity to ask Marianne to dance here and now- not enough people were dancing as of now and too many eyes would be on them. Marianne would certainly feel uncomfortable, in fact she might not even say yes to begin with.

"Perhaps later," he thought to himself.

Surveying the students, Byleth saw that Edelgard and Dimitri were each dancing with other fellow students, but that begged the question; where was Claude? Turning his head he looked around the area until he spotted the crafty individual. Claude and he made eye contact and began to walk toward the professor. No words were exchanged, as Claude gave a wink and grabbed the professor's hand to lead him to the dance floor. Byleth was surprised with the unfolding events and students began to look at the two of them with both amusement and stupefaction.

"Alright, Teach let the show begin," said Claude taking the professor's hand into his own and placing his other hand on Byleth's shoulder.

Byleth likewise did the same and the two began to waltz. Claude proved to be a surprisingly good dancer, and while Byleth was not the biggest fan of the attention, he did appreciate a bold gesture every now and then. The duo continued to sway and circle each other as the song went on. Claude had a rather satisfied grin upon his face while Byleth was trying to remain stoic. Eventually they made their way to another section of the hall, as if to give other students a view of their performance.

"I suppose this is why you had asked if I had ever been to a ball before?" asked Byleth.

"Nothing slips past you, Teach. And besides, how does it feel knowing that I'm your first time?" asked Claude.

"Please don't say it like that."

"Ahah, kidding, kidding. But anyway, I figured that I could do a little scheming while here, and I must say it's working pretty well, all eyes seem to be on us."

Claude wasn't wrong when he said that. The two of them were getting humourous or envious looks from several students. Edelgard and Dimitri themselves even found the whole ordeal to be quite amusing and were enjoying the look of slight embarrassment on the professor's face.

"Well if you've set out to be in the spotlight, well done, Claude," said Byleth.

"Thank you, Teach," said he in a fulfilled tone, "Although, I wasn't doing this just to make a scene, I also wanted you to have at least one unforgettable, if a bit embarrassing, memory while at this dance."

"I certainly won't be forgetting this I can assure you of that," said Byleth.

The song eventually came to a close and the two gave each other a bow. While it was a bit embarrassing to be the center of attention, Byleth couldn't deny that the whole ordeal was enjoyable nonetheless. Claude had said that he was going to find Lysithea, no doubt intending for her to be his next victim. After a few short moments, the music had started again, this time a faster song started playing. More and more students began to take to the dance floor, no doubt feeling emboldened by Claude's recent scheme. It was a fine sight to see, and Byleth had almost forgotten about Marianne, but the young lady soon popped back into his head. He once again began looking around for her and easily found her standing in the back and talking with Leonie.

"I don't think I should ask her to dance yet. This song is too fast and looks to be something done as a group. This doesn't seem like something she would be fond of," thought Bytleth to himself.

"Excuse me, Professor, might I be having this dance?"

"Oh, Petra. Certainly."

"Wonderful! Dancing such as this is reminding me of dancing in Brigid!"

Byleth took her hand and the two of them stepped into the fray. This dance in particular had a couple dance in fast and dynamic manner and then both would join into a much larger circle. From there each person would find a new partner, dance with them for a moment, and then go back to the original partner. As it went on Byleth eventually found himself matched up with Lysithea, whose face was as red as a tomato.

"P-Professor! Claude's too much! Please save me!"

"Sorry, I don't think that's possible at the moment. But, at least I was right about several boys wanting to dance with you."

"Professor!"  
The skilled mage was eventually swept back away by Claude who no doubt was mad with amusement at watching Lysithea have to expend so much energy to keep up with him. After the circle formed again, another suitor came to take Lysithea's hand to enjoy a dance with her. Byleth and Petra likewise continued this routine a few more times before the song finally came to a close, with both exchanging friendly smiles.

"I have gratitude for dancing with me, Professor! Please, enjoy the rest of your night!"

Byleth gave her a friendly nod and she departed. Looking over he saw that Lysithea was completely out of breath and Claude was in the corner laughing to his heart's content. Another fast song began to start, and Byleth was dismayed that he would once again have to pass up an opportunity to dance with Marianne.

"Where is she now," he thought to himself.

He looked towards Lysithea and spotted Marianne bringing her a drink. He was glad that she would be able to occupy her time by chatting with Lysithea, but eventually she was going to run out of options and would either leave without dancing, or some other young student would come and whisk her away. However, before he had time to dote on this any longer, another student appeared before him and asked him to dance.

"My, Professor, I didn't realize you were such a great dancer. Hopefully you'll let me steal you away for this one?" asked Edelgard.

"It'd be my pleasure," replied Byleth.

Byleth extended his hand and Edelgard happily accepted. He once again made his way to the dance floor and they began their swift waltz. Edelgard took the lead at first, but Byleth managed to match her pace and then took the lead himself. After this had gone on for several steps Edelgard once again began her own advance and after a few moments Byleth did the same. It almost felt like a duel, Edelgard lead her strike and then Byleth retaliated with his own. A series of parries and advances, culminating with both breaking away from each other and then bowing gracefully at the song's end.

"Haha! I'm so glad you were able to keep up, Professor. It wouldn't have been as fun if you were trying to play catch up for the entire dance."

"You were a competent partner as well. Thank you, Edelgard," replied Byleth.

The two parted with smiles and Byleth stepped back off of the stage. He was feeling rather pleased about tonight, and found that he rather quite liked dancing. It was strange for him to enjoy things outside of combat, but he certainly was not complaining about this. However, his delight was soon replaced with tension. Slow music started playing and many students were beginning to partner up with others. The time had come at last. Byleth needed to find Marianne now.

**Author's notes: This and chapter 8 are tied for the second hardest chapters to write so far, but 7 was definitely a fun one. I tried to make Byleth seems nervous and almost giddy like just to add a bit of a human element to him. I tried thinking of how anyone would feel seeing their crush at a dance and wanting to dance with them. The actual dance scenes were really enjoyable to write and probably the best part. Claude's bits were very comical to me(especially the Lysithea bit) and were actually planned to be like this before I even had this fanfic completely planned out. Petra's and Edelgard's were pretty enjoyable to write as well, although Petra's language is still a bit weird to write even though I barely had her speaking. **

**Spoiler: I took inspiration for Edelgard's dance from her duel with Byleth from the silver snow route. If you watch their movements and compare them with the steps that Byleth and Edelgard took in their dance you'll see that they're very similar (got the idea from a youtube comment). **


	8. The Long-Awaited Waltz

Chapter 8

The Long-Awaited Waltz

The professor quickly made his way over to an unoccupied corner of the hall and began to meticulously scan the area for Marianne. His mind was racing, and his body felt unsteady, but there was no way that he would allow his nerves to forgo this chance with Marianne. This was the awaited moment, and he was not going to allow anything to stop him from finding her. Fortunately, her blue hair made her easy to spot, and with nary a moment wasted he found her standing near the exit. Just seeing her was almost enough to make him freeze up.

"Move, Byleth, move," he thought to himself.

His body jerked into action and he swiftly began to make his way over to her; the realization of what was to come made his body feel like it was carrying a heavy weight, but he ignored this and pressed onwards. Not even an army could stop him from getting to her. Trekking the hall and forsaking everything else he found himself closer and closer to her. At long last, she stood before him.

"Marianne," his voice sounded almost forced and anxious, "I'm glad to have found you. Would you care to dance?"

"P-professor. I-I," she replied in a very nervous tone.

"You... I? Are you alright, Marianne?"

"Yes- I mean no. It's just…"

She was blushing heavily by this point and Byleth hoped beyond hope that her nerves would not cause her to leave the ball out of fear. All that he could think of in this moment was her and he would feel devastated if she left.

"It's just... Are you sure you want to dance with me? I'm not very good at dancing and I'm sure someone else would make you happier."

"Marianne..."

"Truly, I'll understand. You won't hurt my feelings," she exclaimed in a distressed tone.

"Marianne, please, stop. I want to dance with you. Nothing would make me happier."

His words could not have been truer, but he realized that he could not talk forever- the time for action had come. He reached out his hand and waited for her response. His pulse was racing by this point and if his heart could beat then no doubt it would be crashing against his chest. Of all the potential dance partners here, he wanted her and her alone. He prayed that she would realize this.

"Please, just do something, anything" he thought to himself.

Something did happen though, and luckily it just so happened that this was something that Byleth hoped for. Marianne reached out and placed her hand into his own. The sensation of feeling her skin sent alluring waves through his mind and he could see that Marianne was also feeling the same. However, now was not the time for them to become distracted by enthralling sensitivities. Byleth gently squeezed her hand and both made their way to the center of the ballroom.

Navigating past several students the two of them found an open spot for themselves and stood across from one another. Gazing into Marianne's eyes, Byleth placed his hand around her waist and Marianne placed hers on his shoulder. The feeling of her touch sent lightning through his body and her shy, yet wanting face bewitched his sight. Slowly, he began to lead and she in turn followed his advances. It was not an easy start for the pair, however. Marianne was rather stiff and her uneasiness made it difficult for Byleth to find pace with her. He had to think fast and find a way to relax her. Luckily however, a spark of inspiration struck him in that very moment.

"Marianne, you don't suppose Dorte is jealous, do you?"

"Dorte? Jealous? How so?"

"Well, you take care of him pretty often. I'm sure he's grown quite attached to you and probably wishes he were the one dancing with you and not me."

"Dorte… The horse… Jealous? Of the Professor and me? Aha- ahahaha!"

His quip proved to be a success. Byleth, for the first time since arriving at Garreg Mach, had managed to make Marianne laugh in such an unrestrained manner. The sight of her face displaying such levity was enough to make him melt, but the true reward was the effect that it had on her. She became less stiff and now started to flow with the professor. Using this to his advantage, he began to take more graceful steps and Marianne now naturally was able to match him. Finally recovering from her laugh, all that remained of the couple was their smiling faces as they gazed at each other. Lightheartedness filled the both of them as their waltz continued. Stepping and swaying; each movement captivating the other and making them become lost in their affectionate touch. Their smiles vanished as a new perception began to take hold of them. It wasn't embarrassment, or happiness, or tension, but rather something foreign. Byleth and each of his senses felt heightened before Marianne's presence. Every touch, turn, glance, and breath- he was aware of all of them and not a single action of Marianne escaped his consciousness. His mind had abandoned every defense and currently functioned only to yearn for Marianne. She felt the same as him and more- on this night and in this waltz she felt desired and wanted. Holding his hand and feeling the other around her waist; Marianne became intoxicated by his presence. His power and his gentleness placed her within a trance and even if she were to try she would be unable to escape it for as long as the two were joined in dance.

In their waltz there was no Empire, or Kingdom, or Alliance. No Garreg Mach Monastery and no three houses. Neither teacher nor student, just two individuals who danced as though they were never meant to be separated. The music was the only thing that was able to guide them, and though they kept a respectable distance from each other, their eyes united them closely. He was hers and she was his and as time began to freeze for them, so too did they. Byleth gazed down towards Marianne and she gazed up towards him; both holding each other on that candlelit night in a faraway world of their own.

"Who is the Professor dancing with? They look so good together!"

"I believe that's Marianne von Edmund. I've never really seen her around though."

"Who knew she could dance so well?"

"Honestly, I'm kind of jealous of her."

Offhand comments woke Byleth and Marianne from their shared dream. As they resumed moving it was clear that more and more students now began to look at them. Byleth tried paying them no mind, but it proved not to matter. Marianne had once again started to become rigid and her steps were now short and rough.

"P-professor. People are starting to stare at us."

"I know. I'll…I'll..."

What exactly was he supposed to do in that situation? He couldn't go up to each student and tell them to stop staring, nor could he tell another joke that would help Marianne to relax. Upon realizing this his mood became worried and then resentful that such an exhilarating dance would have to be cut short.

"Marianne, I won't force you to be uncomfortable. Finish this last step with me then I will bow out so that neither of us ends up looking awkward."

"Professor…"

The pair gave one final taut turn and then Byleth broke off from her touch. Taking one quick final look at her, he gave a bow and she gave a small curtsy. Although he tried to look happy, the professor could not fully conceal the sadness on his face.

"Professor… I… I'm sorry. I can't do anything right."

Marianne then sheepishly stepped away and made for the exit. Byleth gloomily watched the distraught girl disappear into the night, but did not have long to contemplate upon this.

"Professor!" said a girl in a flirty tone, "Mind if I cut in?"

**Author's notes: I wanted to write Marianne and Byleth's first waltz as something that really played to the senses in a dramatic way. I got a lot of inspiriation from "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera to sort of describe how each one was feeling. Some words from the lyrics might have even crept into the writing. **

**Hilda as usual has been a joy to write and she really helps to move the plot along in my opinion. **


	9. Life Goes On

Chapter 9

Life Goes On

"Oh, Hilda," said the professor.

"Oh, Hilda? Gee, you don't have to sound so depressed when you see me," replied the pink haired girl.

"You're right, sorry."

"Oh, relax. I was just teasing you. Besides, you looked like you could use a bit of cheering up," Hilda noted.

"I don't recall being particularly upset about anything in particular," replied Byleth.

"Professor, honestly," said Hilda in an exasperated tone, "You may not realize it, but your body really gives you away when it comes to what your feeling."

As ironic as that sounded to him Hilda did have a point. For someone who was as aloof as he was it would make sense that any amount of emotion would give away how he was truly feeling.

"Look, about Marianne, I can tell that you have feelings for her and I'm sorry that some of the others sort of unintentionally wrecked the mood you two had going on. If it's worth anything though, you two really did look lovely together. The way you both danced… it was like it was meant to be."

"Well, I think that might be a bit of an exaggeration. Sure, we danced well together, but I wouldn't say that-"

"Professor, seriously? That dance was like a love letter between the two of you. It's clear that you both share a special and unique bond. I mean, just from dancing with you now it's clear to see," noted Hilda with a wink.

"I suppose the jig is up. When should I hand in my letter of resignation to Rhea for having feelings for a student?" asked Byleth in a somewhat joking manner.

"No need to overreact, Professor. Aside from maybe myself and Lysithea, no one here actually realizes that you and Marianne have a thing. Besides even if they did, what are they going to fire you for? You haven't done anything wrong."

"That's a relief to hear."

The waltz finally came to an end and Hilda and Byleth exchanged their curtsey and bow. She may have been the laziest noble in all of Fódlan, but Hilda certainly didn't miss any details when it came to love.

"Well Professor, I'm going to go steal Claude for a dance. Enjoy the rest of your night and good luck with the lines."

"Lines?"

"After seeing how you and Marianne danced, everyone's going to want to dance with you now. Gooddd luckkkk."

She gave a wave and began to walk away.

"Hilda, wait."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks... For the rescue back there."

"Don't mention it," she said with a girlish giggle.

In the end, Hilda was right. Byleth soon found that he would be spending the rest of his evening dancing with student after student. After Hilda came Dorothea, Mercedes, Annette, Manuela, Flayn, Seteth (who just wanted to dance with Byleth to remind him to stay away from Flayn), Ferdinand, and lastly Leonie. Byleth by this point was beginning to feel exhausted and decided that he had done enough dancing for now. He began to head towards the exit, but before leaving he took one final glance at the ballroom. Edelgard was dancing with Hubert and Dimitri was dancing with Ingrid. Hilda was once again dancing with Claude (even though she had said that you couldn't dance with the same partner twice) and Lorenz had somehow convinced Leonie to dance with him.

All in all, it was a cheery sight to observe and Byleth was pleased that so many students were enjoying themselves this night. Finally, he turned around and headed outside.

"Running away?" asked Sothis, "I understand. You hardly had the time to breathe in there."

The two bantered for a bit, with Sothis even teasing him about being everyone's favorite professor. However, the question still remained about where he was to escape to. After a bit of deliberation, the professor figured that the best place to go would be The Goddess Tower. Byleth proceeded to make his way over to the grand tower, and unexpectedly also remembered a story that the gate keeper had told him about it. Arriving at the entrance, he entered inside and began climbing the stairs. He was almost towards the top when he heard a familiar voice talking to someone inside.

"Marianne? But who is she with though?"

Byleth did not believe that she had come here to make an eternal vow with another student, but nonetheless he still hurried to the top. Upon reaching it, he saw Marianne talking to herself and praying to the goddess. Byleth began to approach her and accidentally startled the solemn girl.

"Oh! Professor," exclaimed Marianne in surprise.

"Is someone else here?" asked Byleth.

Marianne had replied with a no, much to the relief of Byleth, and began explaining what she was doing. She told him about the legend of a man and woman making a wish to the goddess on this night in this tower. She explained that she had intended for a male pigeon to be her partner so that the goddess would grant her wish, however after a bit of thought she decided that this wasn't such a great idea in the first place and wasn't sure if a pigeon would even qualify as a suitable male. A bit of an awkward silence fell over the two of them, however before she could leave the professor did offer to take the pigeon's place and pray with Marianne.

"What is your wish?" Byleth asked her.

"Who, me? Oh, nothing in particular. Let's pray for your wish. There must be something you want. Well?"

"Only to see you smile," replied the professor.

Marianne's cheeks turned bright red and she scolded him about teasing her. In the end, Byleth did get his wish instantly and was delighted to see that Marianne was no longer upset about the dance. She then bid him farewell and began to leave the tower, but before she did so she turned around to speak to him.

"Professor, about the dance…"

He gave a nod.

"I'm really sorry that I got embarrassed and made you stop for me. In truth, I really did enjoy our time together and I hope that you can forgive me."

"Don't worry about it, Marianne. Thinking of it now, I can assure you that dancing with you was my favorite part of the night."

"P-professor," said the blushing girl.

He gave her a smile and she returned one as well. Afterwards she descended down the staircase and out of sight. He was sad to see her go, but was also glad that their relationship would continue to grow in spite of tonight's blunder.

"I don't know what the future holds for us, Marianne," he thought to himself, "Still, I'm glad that I got to share this special night with you."


	10. Their First Fight

**Preface: Sorry for the long delay in uploading. I've been extremely busy with college and just finished midterms not too long ago. Anyway, I do intend to write more chapters for this story and hopefully they'll be out at a much faster rate than before.**

"So, with these larger beasts and demons we should have our ranged units attack first. This will serve as an opening to weaken the opponent and then our close quarters units will follow up with another assault. Lastly, cavalry and fliers should move last since they have an easier time flanking and can attack from different angles that our archers or footmen cannot reach. If done correctly, we should be able to take one of them down in one go. Now then, that's about it for today's lecture. Any final questions?

"Professor?" asked Ignatz.

"Yes," replied Byleth.

"It's about the Death Knight. Aren't you worried about him coming back to the monastery?"

"I'm not too worried about him sneaking back in here. We can more or less confirm that he is Jeritza, so the knights and the villagers know to look out for him. My main concern is who let him inside in the first place? I'd like to think it's not true, but there could be a traitor at Garreg Mach."

"I'll bet you a gold coin that it's Lorenz," said Claude in a facetious tone.

A few giggles were heard throughout the classroom.

"Honestly, Claude, could your humor be any more ludicrous or ill-timed?" asked an annoyed Lorenz.

"Just trying to lighten up the mood," replied Claude.

After the amusing exchange the bell tolled at Garreg Mach, signaling the end of classes for the day. The Golden Deer students began to pack up their belongings when a question rang out from one of Byleth's students.

"Professor, you haven't seen Captain Jeralt around, have you?" asked Leonie.

He shook his head.

"Aw, seriously? I was really eager to show him a new spear technique that I picked up! Oh well, just let me know if you happen to run into him."

Byleth gave her a nod and Leonie returned to packing along with the rest of the Golden Deer students. Elsewhere, Flayn and Raphael were discussing what he believed was something related to screaming and training and Lysithea and Hilda were talking about makeup and perfume with each other. With the excitement of the ball finally past them it seemed as though things were begging to return to normal. Byleth began to erase the writing from the chalk board and then sat back down at his desk. Closing his eyes and letting out a quiet sigh he began to feel the chilly winter's air on his skin and dozed off to the murmur of various conversations.

"Actually, I don't know where Marianne went. Try asking Hilda, she might know."

Byleth had just barely paid attention to the student's comment, but it was enough to snap him out of his moment of repose and to get him thinking about Marianne as well.

"Actually, I don't recall seeing her towards the end of class. I know she was here earlier though. Did she sneak out? It wouldn't be like her to do so, but it's not entirely impossible," the professor thought to himself.

Curiosity overtook him and he decided to go on a little hunt for the blue haired doe. He stepped outside of the classroom and began walking towards his quarters so that he could have a bit of peace and quiet to think to himself. Upon arriving at his room, he unlocked the door, entered inside, and sat down at his desk and pondered as to where she might be.

"Marianne is very respectful, so if she found it necessary to leave unannounced it's unlikely that she'd be inside her room or at the cathedral. I doubt she was sick and had to rush to the infirmary; she would've asked to have been excused. By the look of it, she didn't intend to be followed or had something urgent to attend to. I'm not even sure if she's still on monastery grounds. I should check with the gatekeeper."

Satisfied with his conjecture, Byleth proceeded to leave his dormitory and also grabbed The Sword of the Creator just in case he would need it if he had to leave the monastery. He swiftly began walking the grounds of Garreg Mach as he made his way towards his destination. He did not believe that Marianne was in trouble or that she was up to no good, but still he couldn't help himself from being slightly worried. With individuals like the Death Knight still on the loose, he would have felt better if she had at least told someone where she was going and if she had brought company with her. After a few more moments of walking he arrived at the entrance, where merchants and students alike were gathered.

"Greetings, Professor! Nothing to report!" said the all too familiar voice of the gatekeeper.

Byleth gave him a nod of greeting and was about to open his mouth to ask a question when the gatekeeper had cut him off.

"Well, actually I take that back. I did see a student leave the monastery grounds with a bit of equipment on her. It looked like she was carrying some blankets, bandages, and food. She had blue hair and really baggy eyes. Do you know who I'm talking about by any chance?"

As usual the gatekeeper had said enough, for which Byleth was grateful for. Giving him another nod Byleth turned from him and departed the monastery. His next step would be to somehow locate Marianne in the vast openness that was the outside world.

"Alright, if she's carrying several supplies out in the open by herself it's unlikely that she intended to go far. The bandages make me think that someone or something could be hurt. I need to hurry and see if she left a trail. Someone could need our help."

Luckily for the professor, finding Marianne's trail was not a hard thing to do. It had been snowing as of late and it only took him a few moments to locate footprints in the snow. Figuring that this had to have been her, Byleth began following the trail into the cold and frosty wilderness. As he searched for Marianne, he began to notice how eerily quiet it was during winter, but for the most part he found it to be somewhat comforting and tranquil in its own way. He could also hear every step that he made as he marched through the snow and felt the icy matter cave in under his boots. He continued walking for just a bit more and figured that the silence would also aid in locating Marianne, and sure enough it did as he soon heard a soft-spoken voice not too far off in the distance.

"Please just hold still for a bit longer. I'm almost done wrapping your leg."

He quietly approached the source of the sound and found Marianne kneeling on the ground and wrapping up the leg of a squirrel.

"Need any help?" asked the professor in a calm tone.

"P-Professor! What are you doing here?!" shrieked Marianne.

The sudden startled movements of Marianne caused the squirrel to jump out of her hands and to scamper across her head. Its frantic movements had turned her hair into a complete mess until the squirrel finally decided to jump off of her and retreat into a hole in a tree.

"Marianne! Forgive me I didn't mean to startle you!" said Byleth in an alarmed tone.

"No, it's fine," replied Marianne as she began trying to fix her hair, "I um… how did you find me, Professor?"

"I noticed that you weren't in class towards the end of the lecture. It's not like you to sneak out so I got concerned and went looking. That, and it was easy to see your footprints in the snow."

"Oh, I see… I'm sorry, Professor. I didn't mean to sneak out. It's just that this squirrel was hurt, and I had to help it!"

"How did you find it?"

"I couldn't sleep last night so I went for a walk before class started. I just happened to stumble across him lying on the ground and noticed that he had a little home inside that tree over there. I used some magic to heal his leg, but I also thought it would be best if I wrapped it to give it more support. The blankets and food were for him also. I used the food to lure him out and then put the blankets inside so that he could have more warmth."

"How thoughtful."

"Yes… Um, Professor? You're not angry with me, are you?"

"No. I was a bit worried about where you ran off to so suddenly, but I'm just glad to…"

As he was finishing his sentence, Byleth suddenly lost his train of thought as he couldn't help but notice how beautiful Marianne looked when she let her hair down. He had never seen it like that before and was taken aback by it. He always thought she looked beautiful with it pinned up, but now he was also amazed by how lovely she looked when it flowed down.

"P-Professor, you're staring," said Marianne as she shyly turned away.

"S-sorry. I'm not sure what I was doing."

The situation had grown awkward for both of them and now both were embarrassingly standing across from each other. Marianne was now glancing down and trying to avoid making eye contact, and Byleth was now rapidly thinking about how to diffuse the tension. Suddenly though, a crazy idea popped into his head.

"Marianne, think fast."

He had bent down and scooped up a large amount of snow into his hands. Shaping it into a ball, he then threw it at Marianne where it her on her shoulder.

"H-hey! Professor!" exclaimed Marianne.

An expression of both amusement and shock appeared across her face. The professor thought that this was a good impression to start with but figured that he needed just a bit more to get her right where he wanted her. He decided to stand confidently before her and gave a playful smirk to Marianne so as to challenge her to retaliate. His mannerisms were just enough to cause an unknown persona to suddenly appear from the girl. Like Byleth, she also knelt down and scooped up a handful of snow into her hands and formed it into a ball. Taking aim, she tossed it at the professor and nailed him dead center in the chest.

"Looks like you've got some fight in you, Marianne. Still, that was just a free hit, the next ones won't come as easy," Byleth remarked.

"We'll see about that," replied Marianne.

The two quickly sprinted away from each other and began to take cover. Swiftly, they began crafting snowballs and soon launched a full out offensive against each other. Byleth peaked out from behind a tree and launched a snowball towards Marianne. She ducked behind a rock and retaliated with her own snowball as well. It struck the tree and Byleth dived out from his cover and launched a barrage at Marianne. She was quickly pelted by three snowballs but did not let this deter her as she returned her own fire at the professor. His exposed position caused him to receive a series of hit to the face and body, and he soon scrambled to take cover behind another tree.

The two began making more snowballs in an attempt to defeat the other. Marianne began trying to curve her throws sideways and Byleth began to notice that they were getting closer and closer to connecting with him. He soon peaked out from one side and launched a volley of them into the air, hoping to assault Marianne from above. Byleth's approach gave him an easier attempt at hitting Marianne, so she soon left her post in favor of finding a tree. Byleth saw her running across and tried to snipe her as she fled for cover, but Marianne managed to duck under the projectile and quickly found cover. Peeking out from her new hiding place she noticed that the snowballs had suddenly stopped coming towards her. She figured that the professor must have ran out of ammunition and swiftly ran to his tree to finish her assault on him. However, looking behind the tree she saw that he was nowhere to be found. She quickly turned around to make sure that her back would not be taken, but what she did not account for was an assault from above as Byleth had leapt down from the tree branch and tackled the girl into the snow.


	11. A Sudden Change of Scenery

**Preface: Once again, sorry for the delay in uploads college has been trying to kill me. However, as a post Halloween treat chapters 11 and 12 are out on the same day. They're gonna change the pace a bit, but it's unavoidable because****of the plot of Three Houses. I honestly didn't plan on making this story span the timeline of the game, but so far that's the new plan so we'll get even more stories about Byleth and Marianne living their lives together. Don't worry though, the plot will not just be a cut and past of the game's story. There will still be plenty of quirky and cute moments between Byleth and Marianne and the Golden Deer. **

"Professor! How did you?!" exclaimed Marianne.

"Kind of like fishing. Just set some bait and then wait." replied Byleth with a smirk.

"You almost scared me to death! Was it worth it?" asked Marianne.

"Well… when you put it that way… yes."

The two shared a laugh between each other as Byleth kept her pinned to the ground. Once again, he had managed to diffuse the awkwardness between them and they both began to feel comfortable around each other. However, being on top of her was beginning to stir powerful emotions within the both of them. Ever since the ball every touch and passing glance that he shared with Marianne felt heightened and intensified and being on top of her was giving rise to dangerous temptations. He was finding it harder and harder to resist her and was not sure if there would come a day where he would be able to keep this up. He wanted to hold her hand; to embrace her; to stroke her cheek- to press his lips against hers. Every fiber of his body might as well have been yelling Marianne's name and she was no better off than he was. Byleth's presence over her was domineering and she found herself helpless to resist him. He had her in a trance, and underneath her blushing cheeks and beating heart, part of her longed to be intimate with him. Her mind might not have completely known why this was, but her body knew that she was falling for him and that she wanted to feel desired. She was slowly beginning to crave the feeling of his adoration after all these long years of isolation. However, now was not the time for this. Even though he wanted her and she wanted him the professor still recognized that he could only be that to her for now- a professor.

"W- well, I'd say that that was a pretty good match," said Byleth as he rigidly got off of the girl.

"Y- yes. I, I had fun," said Marianne as she sheepishly took his hand.

Byleth helped her get up and the two gave bashful smiles towards each other. Silently, they began walking back to the monastery together- after the fun and intimate moments that they shared they felt content simply being in each other's presences and enjoying the peaceful winter's day. After walking through the snow side by side, they had finally returned to Garreg Mach and yet, Byleth couldn't help but notice that Marianne had a slight element of sadness to herself, as if she didn't want the fun they had to be over just yet.

"Professor. Thank you. For today. I didn't know I could feel so… happy."

With that, she gave him a sincere smile and went on her way. It was the same smile that he saw that night in the Goddess Tower, and he could think of nothing sweeter than to see it again.

"I must say, if she takes up any more space inside your head there soon won't be any room left for me," said the teasing voice of Sothis.

An unamused glance appeared across his face and he could tell that Sothis was gleefully jeering at his reaction. Still, she was right in saying that Marianne had become the center of his attention for most of the afternoon so he decided to find other activities that would occupy his time. He had not been to the cathedral in a while and figured that a visit there would be good for his mind. He had managed to pass through the marketplace and into the reception hall, when suddenly he was met with an urgent encounter.

"Captain? Captain! Where are you? Hey, Professor. Have you seen your old man?" Alois frantically asked.

Byleth shook his head and Alois gave a cryptic message about the professor being selected for something. However, before he had much time to ponder Jeralt appeared and after having the situation explained to both of them, Byleth was commanded to summon his students for battle against demonic beasts that were attacking other students. The situation was unparalleled in its direness and unexpectedness, especially when compared to the joy that Byleth felt today. Regardless though, now was not the time to reminisce; there were children in danger and their lives were now in the balance of his hands. He quickly went to go look Claude and the others and was glad that he had taught them earlier about how to deal with demonic beasts and the like, but yet for some reason this mission was beginning to fill him with an unexplainable sense of dread. Then there was the message that Jeralt had wanted to talk to him about earlier. These series of unfortunate events were becoming too uncanny for Byleth's liking.

After scrambling around and looking for his students, Byleth had managed to gather all of them for battle. Each one of them was shocked and nervous by the recent developments, but they still tried to retain their composure as best as they could.

"Demonic beasts at the chapel?! Teach, where did they even come from?" asked Claude.

"No idea!" replied the professor.

"This can't be! This is all wrong!" exclaimed Flayn.

"We've gotta save them before it's too late! Ignatz keep up!" yelled Raphael.

"Right behind you! This is awful, we can't let any of them die!" said Ignatz.

Finally, they had managed to sprint to the chapel grounds just in the nick of time. Jeralt had arrived just moments before them and was mapping out the site where the perilous battle would be held.

"There's two students cornered up ahead and two students towards the back! You and your brats save the ones in back I'm going on ahead!" exclaimed Jeralt.

"That's too dangerous!" yelled Byleth.

Jeralt did not listen and rushed ahead to the aid of the endangered students. The fighting had not even started yet, but the odds of survival for the trapped students and his father were already stacked against the professor. To make matters worse, the stress was now starting to get to Byleth, and his planning would not be as effective as he wanted it to be.

"This can't be happening... Claude!" yelled the professor, "Use the strategy I taught you today, I need to help Jeralt!"

"I'm on it! Alright everyone, it's time for a pop quiz! I hope you all paid attention today!"

Feeling confident with Claude's capabilities, Byleth began to sprint towards his dad. He knew that Jeralt's strength was legendary, but even he couldn't deal with a group of demonic beasts all by himself. His body was filled with dread, but he tried his best to block it out and to focus on the task at hand. His legs had carried him far across the grounds and he could see Jeralt trying to fend off a demonic beast. He was holding his own against the monster and had managed to impale his spear deeply in its neck. Unfortunately, the spear had gotten lodged within the creature and in his moment of cessation a second beast had come after him and knocked him from his horse.

"Grahhh!" yelled Jeralt as he fell to the ground.

He was out of options and did not have enough time to get out of the way of the demon's next attack. It was preparing to crush him under its foot, but suddenly it had been impaled through the head and let out a hellish scream. Byleth's sword had managed to reach Jeralt at the last moment. The professor retracted the blade, rushed over to Jeralt, and tried helping him get to his feet.

"Don't focus on me, lookout!"

Byleth had not accounted for the beast with the spear stuck in its neck and now it too was prepared to deliver the finishing blow to the duo. Jeralt and Byleth tried to scurry out of the way, but this would do no good for either of them. The flames that it was preparing to launch would travel too fast and at their current distance dodging was all but impossible. The attack was charged and was ready to fire, but suddenly a powerful blast of magic had struck the monster in its head, causing the attack to be redirected into the distance.

"Is she one of yours?" asked Jeralt in a breathless tone.

"Marianne!" exclaimed Byleth.


	12. Athame

The beast staggered back for a moment, but afterwards had its attention drawn to Marianne. Releasing a hideous scream, it was now preparing to charge towards her and wanted to tear her flesh to shreds. Fear had quickly overtaken the girl, but she was determined not to back down and began to ready another magic attack. Sprinting towards her, the beast leapt into the air and quickly began descending upon Marianne. Luckily though, she had managed to dive out of the way, although the shockwave from its landing caused her to lose her balance. The monster was now turned towards her direction, but before it could raise another hand to strike her Byleth had impaled it through the head in a blinding fit or rage. A scream of anger and fright escaped his mouth as he felled the monstrosity. Even Marianne had become intimidated and was now beginning to see the extent of his power.

"Marianne, what are you doing here?! You need to get out! Go!" yelled Byleth.

"Easy there, kid! If it wasn't for her you and I would both be charred meat right about now," reprimanded Jeralt.

His words did not remove the excruciating worriment from the professor, but they were enough to draw him out of his state of fury and to have him recognize that Marianne did save the both of them from certain doom. Had she not launched her spell at that moment both he and Jeralt would have taken fatal injuries. Now here she was, standing before the both of them and wanting to help in whatever way that she could. Byleth's words did cut sharply into her, but at the same time a newfound sense of determination radiated from her.

"I- I couldn't bear to lose you! I won't let you die!" exclaimed Marianne.

Hearing such resolve come from such a meek girl shocked Byleth, and within his heart he could see that nothing was going to make her falter by this point. Furthermore, her courage had acted as a powerful source of comfort that had removed his dread and allowed for him to think clearly. She had managed to calm him down and in doing so had given them the advantage of a strategic mindset.

"Right, well that's touching and all, but the last two are coming straight for us!" yelled Jeralt.

Two demonic beats, one approaching from the east and the other from the west, were now quickly charging towards the trio. The commotion had drawn them away from their previous locations and both demons seemed hellbent on killing them where they stood. Gripping his sword, Byleth assumed a guarded stance as Jeralt retrieved his lance and climbed back onto his horse.

"I can take this one by myself. You and the girl take the other one. Sound fair?"

Byleth gave a nod and with that, Jeralt rushed off to engage the beast head on. He and Marianne glanced at each other as both stood ready to engage the monster.

"One beast, but four zones to break through. I'm counting on you, Marianne."

"I- I'll do my best."

Flames swelled within the monster and with a violent jerk of its head it shot the blazing projectile at the pair. However, Marianne and Byleth were prepared for this and both leapt away from each other as the flaming orb landed between them. They were now positioned on both sides of the beast and it was time for their dance to begin. Byleth transformed his sword and whipped it towards the hind leg of the monster. It howled in pain as the blade lacerated its leg and caused it to kneel. Temporarily immobilized, it now prepared to fire another attack at the professor, but a blast from Marianne caused its body to twitch upwards in agony and the flaming projectile was shot far off into the distance. They had managed to injure both legs and in doing so had slowed it down considerably. Still, the fight was not over yet as it now tried thrashing at Marianne with all its might. She managed to swiftly get out of the way and launched another attack which was enough to cause it to cease its thrashing. Seeing an opportunity, Byleth followed up on Marianne's opening and impaled the beast in its gut. The attack was highly successful, but its focus was now completely on Byleth and it began trying to claw at the professor, but the best that it could manage was to leave a small scratch on his cheek as he moved towards the center. Its lower area was critically injured and now they began to focus their attention towards its front.

"Marianne, over here!"

Following his lead, Marianne rushed towards the professor and seeing what he had planned to do fired a beam of light towards the same location that the professor launched his sword. Their combined powered had decimated its arm and with one leg completely singed and the other completely lacerated it lost its balance and fell to the ground. The swordsman and the magician were now prepared to deliver the final blow. Seeing the displaced ground, Byleth quickly moved towards the upward pointing debris and using it to his advantage, ran up it and leapt into the air. In a final bout of desperation, the monster tried to launch an attack at the professor, but a beam from Marianne blasted the final remaining side of its face away from him as Byleth's sword extended and pierced through the same side. His attack from above and her attack from below penetrated at nearly the same time and their combined might toppled the monstrosity once and for all. With the battle now over and the students saved, the two lowered their guards and began desperately trying to catch their breaths.

"Well… well done," said an exhausted Byleth.

"That was…tough," replied an equally exhausted Marianne.

Seeing each other in such a worn-out state inadvertently caused them to laugh at each other. They both looked pathetic, but they could not deny that their accomplishments were grand. Along with Jeralt they had managed to defeat four demonic beasts in total with little to no injuries. It was commendable indeed, and soon afterwards they had regained enough stamina to speak normally again.

"Professor, you're bleeding," said a concerned Marianne.

She quickly trotted up to him and placed her hand on his cheek. The softness of her hand felt pleasant to Byleth's senses as he felt her magic course through her hand and into his face.

"Well, well, well. Not bad. You and your lady fought pretty good out there," said the pleased voice of Jeralt.

Marianne quickly retracted her hand from Byleth's face and began to blush at Jeralt's comment. The fact that the professor did nothing to deny it also gave her a few presumptuous ideas as well.

"How long were you watching?" asked Byleth.

"Oh, I only saw the ending really. I gotta say, you two make a pretty good couple."

While Byleth normally did not delight in the suffering of others, he did find that he slightly enjoyed seeing Marianne become flustered. However, not wanting things to get too out of hand he decided to speak up to alleviate her misfortune.

"He just means we fight well together, Marianne. Ignore him."

"Yeah, yeah, sure thing, kid. By the way, shouldn't you be concerned about the rest of your brats?"

"They'll be fine. In fact, here they come now."

The Golden Deer students were quickly making their way towards their professor. Even though Marianne's bravery had helped him to realize that they would be able to handle the situation, he was still delighted to see that they emerged victorious no worse for wear.

"Hmph, they've definitely come a long way since the mock battle. But that's enough of that. Kid, come with me for a moment. We need to search the chapel for any evidence."

Jeralt had his horse turn around as he made his way towards the chapel building. Byleth wanted to celebrate with his students, but he did recognize that there were other pressing matters to attend to. However, before he went to where Jeralt was he looked towards Marianne and began to speak.

"Marianne. I'm sorry… for how I lashed out at you," said Byleth in a sincere tone.

"It's alright, Professor. You were worried, I understand how you felt."

The two parted with smiles as Marianne made her way back towards the rest of the students. With the crisis averted he was now able to breathe a sigh of relief as he joined his father to look for any remaining evidence that the chapel might have held. However, fate would not be so kind as to let him enjoy his victory. The chapel did turn up evidence in the form of an assassin disguised as a student. Monica, who had been rescued earlier on by Byleth and his students, was the one who had orchestrated the attack and from her deception she was able to take Jeralt's life right before Byleth's eyes. Even the power to turn back the hands of time was not enough to save his father's life from the clutches of darkness. The blessed day that he had once delighted in was turned into a cursed day of mourning and tears.


	13. Beneath the Moon

**Preface: Once again, sorry for the long wait. College has been busy and I was struggling to figure out what direction I should take this story. Thankfully, another writer gave me some ideas and I really enjoyed writing this chapter. ****This chapter definitely went though many changes, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out in the end. More to come soon. **

"Professor?" asked Lysithea.

"…"

"Could you please explain that last part again? Specifically, the section about mages. I'm not quite sure about-"

"Just check the book," replied Byleth in an exhausted and spiritless tone.

Lysithea had a hurt expression on her face as the rest of the Golden Deer students looked on with sorrow at the current state of their professor. After the death of Jeralt his students slowly watched him become a lifeless shell of his former self; not only in his motivation, but also in his appearance. His eyes had terrible bags under them from lack of sleep, his body had become skinner than usual, and his movements and reactions were slow, as if he were carrying a heavy weight with every step that he took. He was more like a corpse than a living being, and his lessons as a whole had become devoid and melancholic. Going over to his desk, Byleth sat down and rested his head on his hand and shut his eyes.

"Um, Professor?" asked Leonie, "There's still thirty minutes left of class. What should we do?"

"…Read. Leave. I just… need a moment."

The students spent the rest of the class in silence. After the bell had tolled they gloomily began to pack up their belongings and miserably said goodbye to their professor. Outside of their classroom, they began talking to each; trying to see if there was anything they could do for their professor.

"Claude, he looks like the living dead. We've got to do something," said Hilda.

"I'm with you on that, Hilda. Only problem is I've never seen someone look so pitiful as Teach does right now. I'm not sure if anyone here can help him," replied Claude.

"Oh, I know! Let's all go weightlifting. That always cheers me up!"

They stopped walking and gave unamused glances at Raphael.

"Ha-ha… What?"

"Perhaps we'll save that idea for another time," replied Flayn.

Behind them, Marianne walked silently as she woefully listened in on the conversation. She was no stranger to such sadness, but seeing the professor start to act how she acted was especially painful to her. After forming such a strong bond with him, she became fearful that she would lose the only person that gave her a vision for the future.

"You're awfully quiet back there, Marianne. Surely you must have an idea about what to do," stated Lysithea.

"M-me? No. What good could I ever do?" Marianne dejectedly replied.

The group let out defeated sighs as their hopes slowly slipped away from them. It seemed as though the professor really was just going to waste away before their eyes for the remainder of the unforeseen future. However, one girl in particular had refused to give up yet and still believed that there was something that could be done.

"Marianne, come with me for a bit. You guys go ahead we'll see you later," said Hilda.

Quickly taking her hand, Hilda guided the quietly protesting Marianne back to her room so that the two could discuss an important matter. Hilda had figured out months ago that the professor had feelings for Marianne and knew that if anyone could save him from himself it would be her. The only problem standing in her way was that she now had to convince Marianne of her own power over him. It would be no easy feat, but Hilda did have a way of convincing others to help her, and now it was time to put this skill to use once again. Arriving at her room, she unlocked the door and brought Marianne inside with her. She pulled up two chairs for both of them as they sat down to discuss the current state of affairs.

"Alright, Marianne, it's about time that we just got everything out in the open and figured out where you stand."

"Where I stand? Stand with what?"

"The professor, Marianne! Haven't you been picking up on all the signs?"

"Signs?"

"Yeah, Marianne. Don't tell me you haven't noticed."

"Um, I'm sorry, Hilda. I'm not sure that I understand what you're trying to tell me."

Hilda squeezed the bridge of her nose and let out a very deep sigh at Marianne's comment.

"H-Hilda, are you feeling okay?"

"Just… perfect," said she with a sarcastic smile, "Anyway, where was I? Oh right, let me try to sum this up without going into too much detail. Marianne, you and the professor have a bond that none of the other students have with him. Not even Claude, and he thinks the world of Claude."

"W-what? R-really?" asked a blushing Marianne.

"Yep. Which is why he needs you now more than ever. No one else can do this except for you."

"The professor… truly cares for me that much? Even with all my flaws? I-I haven't felt this in…"

"H-hey, Marianne…" said a disheartened Hilda.

"Hilda, thank you. Still, even if it's true there's nothing that I can do for him. I… I'm just a monster and-"

"Marianne…"

"I don't even deserve the life that I've been given. I wish I could just vanish and-"

"Marianne, enough already!" said Hilda raising her voice.

The sudden change in tone shocked Marianne as Hilda stood up and began to walk over towards her.

"Marianne, I really, really don't care what you think about yourself. Say what you want, but no one believes it. I personally don't think it's smart to go risking your life for others, but I know for a fact that everyone and myself would do it for you without a second thought. Now tell me, would we really do that for someone that's a monster?" asked Hilda in a firm manner.

"But, Hilda! You don't know about my-!" exclaimed Marianne.

Hilda clasped Marianne's cheeks between her hands.

"For the last time! It. Doesn't. Matter!"

That was the final blow that Marianne's defenses could take. Hilda had finally managed to get through to her as her old perceptions began to retreat into the far corners of her mind. A new sensation was creeping into the girl. A feeling that could be described as acceptance in its simplest form.

"H-Hilda… I," said Marianne in a fragile tone.

Tears were slowly starting to well up in her eyes.

"It's alright, Marianne, everything's going to be fine."

She was now embracing Marianne and had held onto her as she tried to compose herself. Quickly, Marianne began to wipe her eyes so that Hilda would not see her tears. Her words had managed to move her and had filled her with a rare sense of self-esteem that she did not know she could feel. After their period of silence, Marianne began to speak.

"You truly believe that I can help the professor?"

"Yeah, I do. You don't have to do anything special, just try to be there for him, okay?"

"I'll do my best then… And Hilda, thank you… For everything."

The sun had set, and it was now nighttime. Quiet tranquility and peace had fallen upon Garreg Mach, except for one individual in particular. Reoccurring nightmares had prevented Byleth from sleeping and the constant screaming of his own weakness and inability to save the ones that he loved would not release its grip on him. And so, like many nights before he once again made his way outside the monastery to try and fight off his insecurities. Picking up a practice sword, he began to drill his techniques one after another until his hands had grown sore and rigid. He continued to ignore this pain as he slashed and slashed before being broken from his routine.

"Professor?" said the sheepish voice of Marianne.

Her voiced caused him to sloppily chop which in turn caused the sword to fly out of his hand. Swiftly turning around he saw her standing before him, her blue hair and brown eyes faintly illuminated by the pale moonlight. Giving her an indifferent nod, he picked up his training sword and began to practice again. Seeing him like this was slowly confirming her own fears- he truly was lost in his own darkness. However, so was she at one point and it was thanks to the professor and Hilda and the others that she was slowly beginning to get better. It was time she returned the favor.

"…Professor, please, stop," said Marianne as she slowly walked up to him and placed her hand around his wrist. It was a simple gesture, but it was enough to get him to pay attention to her.

"…You shouldn't be here," said Byleth.

"I-I'm not sure I should be either… But I don't want to see you like this. Um, we don't want to see you like this."

Byleth still had his back turned to her and was unmoving. Marianne felt that her words were not reaching him, but then she remembered how Hilda had reached out to her when words weren't enough. She slowly turned him around and timidly began trying to place her hand on his cheek. She moved her arm hesitantly, as if he were a flame and she was afraid that he would burn her. Finally though, her hand had made contact with his face and Byleth's weak eyes were now gazing into hers for the first time in a while.

"I'm sorry… about Jeralt. I know what it feels like to lose a father, and I'm sorry I couldn't do anything for you when you needed me."

"…"

"I wish I was strong enough. For just once in my life I wish I was able to help you."

He took in a deep breath and painfully began to speak.

"No… That's not it. Losing him was hard… But, it's not because of you. It's…"

"Professor?"

After a moment that felt like an eternity, he finally managed to say what was tormenting his heart.

"It's my existence… I can't explain it to you now, but I'm not… normal. I have all this power and yet it's pointless. I couldn't save Jeralt. What am I going to do if I lose you?"

"Professor," said Marianne as her hand pressed more firmly against his cheek.

He retreated from her.

"I can't… I can't get any closer to you. If I lose you, that's it for me," said Byleth.

Marianne's hand dropped and the two now stood in silence, as if they were on opposite sides of a deep, dark divide. She was slowly beginning to understand the burden that he carried almost every day. Having to constantly place those that he loved into danger and sometimes being unable to save them. For someone who thought that her life was meaningless and that no one would mourn for her, this was something entirely new to her.

"You're one of the only ones that's ever cared for me. Even when I only saw myself as a burden you never gave up on me. That's why-"

She quickly ran up to him and embraced him. The sudden force of her body almost knocked him down, but somehow he managed to stay on his own two feet. Marianne's hold on him was almost constricting, but at the same time he felt as if her own life was being used to rejuvenate his body.

"Marianne… I can't… we can't-"

"I-I'm sorry professor, but I don't think I'm going to listen to you."

She continued to stand with her arms tightly wrapped around him. Holding onto him as if she were trying to prevent him from being pried away by an ominous force. She was so tightly fixed against him that she could feel the warmth of their bodies being shared as they tried to fend off the cold of the winter's night. Being so close to him that their two beings resonated as one, this was a sensation that she wanted to feel for many more days to come. Holding him and being with him had become almost intoxicating and having the chance to spend her days with him was a blessing that she did not want to give up. With each passing moment she continued to pour all of her affection into him. For all that he had done for her, she would never forgive herself if she could not save him from his demons. Finally though, her efforts had managed to get through to the professor, and he in turn returned her embrace. His arms wrapped around her as he pulled her tightly into his own body. The softness of her figure and the gentleness of her being warmed his still heart as he rested his head on the top of hers. He knew how much he loved her, and even if he was unable to tell her presently, he was still able to convey his feelings for her with his embrace. Slowly, he began to open up to her.

"I-I'm not sure if I can protect you or the others. But I promise to stay by your side…I"

Byleth suddenly began to collapse to the ground. Marianne likewise fell down with him and held him close to her. After two weeks of not eating or sleeping properly; coupled with the intense emotions flowing through his mind, his body had finally given out.

"Professor, are you?" asked Marianne in a concerned tone.

"I… I'm fine. I just can't move. My body feels so heavy. Can you go and get Raphael and have him carry me back?"

"Um, I can't leave you here in the cold with animals prowling around," replied Marianne.

"It'll take a while before I'm ready to move again, are you sure about this?"

She gave him a nod and seeing that she was not going to change her mind, Byleth slowly began to rest his head against her lap. Her legs were supple, but also firm and supportive to his weary head. Not wanting the both of them to freeze, Marianne brought him into a tighter embrace as his eyes slowly began to shut themselves.

"Thank you," said Byleth as he drifted off to sleep.

Having him rest on her lap was something that she never would have guessed would have happened between the two of them. However, given the current situation it seemed unavoidable and in truth Marianne did not mind it. She had come to savor their shared moments together and seeing the professor in such a vulnerable state and holding onto him in such an intimate manner made her heart lightly flutter. Inadvertently, her hand began to stroke his cheek before moving up towards his hair. Seeing such a gentle and innocent side to Byleth only helped to increase her comfort around him and although it would take her heart time to be able to truly love another, she nonetheless recognized that the professor had taken a place in it that no one else had ever done before.


	14. To Town to Town Part 1

**Preface: Well, now that this semester is over I should finally be able to write more often now. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

"Traitor!"

"W-What is the meaning of this?! Let go of me! I am Ferdinand von Aegir and I-"

"Shut it!"

"What's going on over there?!"

The voice of Byleth boomed down the hallway as the two assailants swiftly fled from the scene. Their speedy getaway made it impossible for the professor to identify who they were, and furthermore he decided it would be best to check up on the flustered Ferdinand before giving chase to them.

"You alright?" asked the Professor.

"Y-yes, thank you. Although I'm sure I could've handled those two by myself," replied Ferdinand in a confident tone.

"Who were they?"

"I can't say for certain, but if I had to guess I'd say they're a part of the Blue Lions house. Ever since they learned that Edlegard was the Flame Emperor things haven't been so… cordial with our two houses. I guess it makes sense though. The majority of us have ties with Adrestia and I'm the son of the prime minister… And now I have to choose to fight against my family or my friends…"

"Ferdinand?"

"No, it's nothing, Professor. Besides it looks like another student wishes to speak with you. I think I'll be going now... Please, have a good day."

Ferdinand tried his best to give a parting smile, but Byleth knew that this was nothing more than a façade and that a great internal conflict was stirring within him. His family or his comrades; picking one meant having to sacrifice the other. That was the burden that he and several other students from the Empire had to carry. It was the sad reality of this war, but the professor did not have much time to ponder upon this predicament as one of his lively students had come to chat with him.

"Heya, Professor? Is everything alright? I just saw Ferdinand leave and he didn't look so good," said Hilda.

"It's the war. That, and Dimitri's wrath is having an effect on some of the Blue Lions. They've been harassing students from the Black Eagles," replied Byleth.

"Ugh, tell me about it. You know, I've said it earlier, but I'm really glad that Claude's in charge of us and not Edlegard or Dimitri. Those two have completely lost it if you ask me!"

Unfortunately, Hilda was right and Byleth, not wanting to think too much of how Edlegard and Dimitri had fallen from grace, simply gave his signature nod of agreement. Presently, he was about to depart to see if he was needed anywhere else, but then he remembered that they were at war and that they were supposed to be fortifying the monastery for the upcoming assault. He had already finished up his tasks for the day, but he was not quite sure if Hilda had done the same, especially since she seemed as though she had too much energy left to spare.

"Um, Hilda, just to clarify have you done any sort of work today?"

"Ouch, Professor, have a little more faith in me! And yes, I have been working thank you very much! I'm just on a rather extended break."

Byleth gave her a quizzical look after hearing her last comment.

"Well, by break what I meant to say was that I've been working with Claude and Ignatz on inventory and we've noticed that the monastery's a bit low on potions. So, Professor Manuela told me to go place a delivery order," clarified Hilda.

"And you haven't done this yet because?"

"Well I did, but the market didn't have enough of what we needed. We still need about three hundred concoctions and two hundred vulneraries. You can only find that amount in town."

"Sounds like you had better get going then if you want to be back before it's dark."

"Uh, no way! It's going to be crowded thanks to this stupid war. Sooooo, I was thinking that you could do it for me instead," said Hilda in a conniving tone.

"I'll pass," replied Byleth.

"Hey, wait a minute! I'm not finished yet! I was about to say that you could do it for me instead and while you're at it you should bring Marianne with you."

Her proposition was now starting to get Byleth's attention. He and Marianne had not been able to interact much thanks to how busy they currently were, so any reason to spend time with her sounded very appealing to him. Furthermore, there were many things that they could also do while heading into town and he was eager to see another cheerful smile appear across her face.

"I guess that does sound like a good idea… Alright, Hilda, where can I find her?"

"She's with Lysithea and Annette. They're working on the magic artillery."

He gave another nod and made his way towards the three girls. It was just a little past noon, so he figured that she and him would have plenty of time to spend together before having to return to Garreg Mach before dusk. Walking swiftly across the monastery he promptly made his way over towards Marianne and the others. The three of them were examining a magical ballista and were ensuring that it was mounted properly. Byleth stepped closer to them so as to make his presence known and received greetings from the three of them.

"Hiya, Professor! Great to see you!" exclaimed Annette.

"Hello, Professor. How have you been?" asked Lysithea.

"It's nice to see you again," said Marianne.

"I'm glad to see you three also," said the professor, "Marianne, can we talk for a moment. I've got a question to ask."

"A question? Okay," replied Marianne.

The two stepped away from the group and Byleth began to fill Marianne in on the current situation. He explained how the monastery was short on a few supplies and noted that they would be going into town for a bit. Marianne seemed to find the proposition to be agreeable, and likewise was eager to spend her afternoon with the Professor. All that she had left to do was to ask Lysithea and Annette if it was okay for her to leave them. Both said that it was no problem and with that settled, Marianne and Byleth made their way to the stables to get horses for their trip. All was going according to plan for Byleth, that is until they ran into a small bind.

"Marianne… Where are all the horses?"

"That's a good question. Um…"

"Sorry 'bout that. Lady Rhea's got the knights running 'round non-stop, so we're a bit short on horses at the moment," said the stable master, "We've got Dorte though, why not give him a try?"

"Oh, Dorte!" beamed Marianne. "That sounds fine! Right, Professor?"

Byleth almost melted at how ecstatic and innocent Marianne had acted. Already, he had gotten to see that cheerful demeanor appear on her and he was now eager to see more. For Marianne, this was a fantastic treat as she did not get to ride Dorte very often because she did not leave the monastery on many occasions, nor was she a holy knight. Byleth found that he couldn't say no even if he wanted to, and gladly agreed to take Dorte. His mood was now glimmering, and as a result of their mutual excitement they both swiftly made their way outside the gates of Garreg Mach and prepared to disembark for their trip. Once the gates had closed behind them, Byleth prepared to mount Dorte, the noble steed of good fortune. However, fate was not so kind and once again another kink had appeared in his plan.

"Argh! What the…?!"

Dorte had thrown him off.

Byleth's face was now incredibly red and Marianne had a look of absolute horror on hers. Dorte had been nothing but kind to her for as long as she had known him, and for the life of her she could not figure out why he had been so uncharitable towards the professor. However, the answer soon became clear as Dorte stepped over Byleth and proceeded to stand right next to Marianne.

"Professor! Are you alright?!"

"Well, I'm not dead so I guess that's a start," said he in a pained voice.

"I-I don't know why he acted like that. He's always so kind with me whenever I go to him."

"That's probably it then," said Byleth as he slowly began to pull himself up from the ground, "I guess he wants you to take the reins."

"Oh! I um… A-are you comfortable with that?"

Byleth gave her a nod and with that, the course of action had been decided. The only thing left to do was to once again try and get back onto the horse. As expected, Marianne had managed to hop onto Dorte without being thrown off as the professor had been. Seeing that she was okay, Byleth then passed by the side of the horse, and giving him a subtle death glare, proceeded to mount Dorte as well- luckily, he was not thrown off this time.

"A-Alright. Ready, Professor?" asked a blushing Marianne.

"All set back here."

Marianne gave a gentle nudge to Dorte's reins and the horse took off at a quick speed. Byleth did not ride horses often, so the feeling of the wind passing by him and experiencing the swiftness of movement was a pleasant occurrence for him. However, that all soon quickly became overshadowed when he began to take notice of the other aspects of his situation. He and Marianne were pressed so closely together on their shared saddle that Byleth could pick up almost every detail of her physique. The softness of her body felt incredible against his, while every gallop and bump caused her to press firmly into him. Her graceful and delicate figure was alluring, and her hairstyle had allowed for the nape of her pale and silky neck to be exposed. Byleth began to subtly wish that he could feel the softness of her skin against his. His arms, which were wrapped around for support, caused him to unintentionally begin to pay attention to her body in greater detail. He could feel the shape of her figure around his arms and could also take pleasure in the tenderness and suppleness of it. The amount of willpower that it took for him to resist pulling her in tighter was immense, and it felt as though Marianne was overtaking his mind and that he was descending into an existence of her alone. He had never dared to allow himself to experience her like this, but the current predicament caused him to not be in his right mind.

Likewise, Marianne was no better off than he was. She was beyond grateful that he could not see her beating red face, but that did little to change the circumstances that her body had fallen into. She had gained a heightened sense of awareness and she could feel everything that was happening to her in the greatest of detail. Every time that Byleth breathed she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck, which did nothing except subconsciously make her wish that she could feel more than just that against it. The closeness of his body to hers made her feel as though she were his and his alone and she enjoyed this feeling of being desirable. She was also spellbound by his grip and was allured by the strength and firmness behind the arms that held tightly to her. Furthermore, every time that Dorte galloped Byleth's grasp would slightly move against her body. The feeling of his hands moving across her was tantalizing to her senses and her body found that it enjoyed being touched by him. Her heart was beating so powerfully that she was surprised that Byleth could not feel it against his own chest, and the longer that they rode on Dorte the more her mind began to go blank and the more her body began to surrender to its current state.

However, after what felt like an eternity, they finally did arrive into town and their shared escapade came to an end as Byleth rigidly began to dismount from Dorte to help Marianne down. Although it was a charged and tense moment for the both of them, in their minds they both knew that it was exceptionally daring and exciting. Marianne especially seemed to enjoy herself, as the blush still had yet to leave her face from earlier. However, Byleth did not pay much attention to this, as he was already planning on how next to spend his afternoon with Marianne. He had managed to get into town with her, and now it was time to prepare for the next course of their exciting day out.

**Author's notes in Sojiro's voice: "Hoo boi!"**


	15. To Town to Town Part 2

"Well, here we are," said Byleth to Marianne.

"Oh!"

Her shocked reply was a suitable response for the sight before them. Hilda was right when she had said that it would be busy, however neither would have guessed that it would look like the entirety of Fódlan would be gathered in this town. The size of the crowd was immense, as merchants hastily tried to sell their supplies and citizens tried stock up for the war that was to come. It was overwhelming to say the least, but Byleth resolved to face the crowd and complete his task so that he and Marianne could have some fun for the remainder of the day. With determination in his heart, he began to take a few steps forward before suddenly realizing that Marianne was not following him.

"Is something the matter, Marianne?"

"N-no. I'm just not very good with crowds."

Byleth cursed himself under his breath for not considering the fact that Marianne was not a social person and probably would not be at ease with all these people surrounding the both of them. Up to this moment, they were having such a good day and he did not want to end it by simply having her wait by Dorte while he went shopping. He frantically began trying to think of ways to amend this issue, but nothing came to mind. He was beginning to become desperate as his body started filling with dread. Luckily though, Marianne noticed the look of panic on his face and spoke up to clarify the matter.

"Wait, Professor. What I meant was that I don't like large crowds, but if I'm with you I should be okay."

"Oh, I see," said Byleth with a feeling of relief washing over him, "Is there anything I can do to help you feel more relaxed?"

"Um, would you mind if I held onto your arm while we shopped? I'd rather not get lost in this sea of people," said a slightly abashed Marianne.

Upon hearing those words, a pang of eagerness shot through Byleth's body. However, not wanting to make the situation awkward he quickly let out a pitched "okay" as he extended his arm towards her. Marianne sheepishly reached for it and locked her arm with his. A slight blush appeared on her face as she quickly looked down at her feet.

"Ready, Marianne?"

"R-Ready."

The two began to walk and maneuver their way through the crowds as they searched for a shop that they could order their supplies from. Steering through the crowds was difficult at first, but the longer they walked the more adept they became at dodging oncoming pedestrians. They quickly developed their own pattern and soon began to flow as one unit. Furthermore, as they walked, they began to notice other couples that were linked together exactly as they were, and both could not help but think that they looked exactly as the others did. Marianne squeezed Byleth's arm tighter, partly out of embarrassment, but also because she did enjoy being close to him as other ladies were close to their men; even if she was too shy to admit it to herself. Byleth found that he loved the feeling of Marianne holding onto his arm, and also enjoyed having the appearance of looking like a couple, which made walking through the town all the more enjoyable for him. For a quick moment, he felt sad that they probably would not be able to do this again in the foreseeable future, but for now he was too happy for this thought to stay fixed in his mind. Finally though, they did make their way towards a rather large merchant's store and figuring that this store would probably have what they needed, they entered inside.

"Welcome!" exclaimed the exuberant voice of a red-haired saleswoman.

"Don't I know you?" asked Byleth.

"Hmm? I don't think we've met. You must have me confused with one of my sisters. We're all merchants and we all look alike."

"Wow, I can't believe it. They do look identical." noted Marianne.

"It's true! Anyway, what can I do for you today?" asked the merchant.

"Can we place a delivery for some potions?" asked Byleth, "It'll be kind of large though."

"Not to worry, I came prepared. My sister was telling me that things were becoming pretty dire at Garreg Mach, so I've slowly been stocking up for the day that something like this would happen. It's great for business! Although, truly I do wish that it didn't have to happen," said the merchant to Byleth.

He gave her a nod as she proceeded to prepare a list of what he needed. After giving her the details of the order, she calculated the price and presented it to him. He asked if Professor Manuela would be able to pay her once the goods arrived at the monastery to which she found to be agreeable.

"Anna!"

"Yeah, Anna!"

"Can you have Anna make a delivery to Garreg Mach for me?"

"Yeah sure thing! I'll get her as soon as I finish ringing up this other customer first!"

Byleth thought that it was rather peculiar that all of them not only looked alike but were also all named Anna to boot. Just how many Annas worked at this shop he wondered. He also began to speculate that their household must have been chaotic growing up, as would anything else that involved family gatherings for them. Still, he felt that there was no use in thinking about it too much, so he decided to just leave it at that instead. After he had concluded his thoughts though, he noticed that Marianne was nowhere in sight and began to wonder where she could have gone off to.

"Marianne?" asked Byleth.

"I'm over here," replied the gentle voice of Marianne.

He turned around and saw her approaching with a bag in her hand. He could not tell what was inside of it, but it was not his business to pry into her personal matters after all. He extended his arm and she once again linked it with her own arm as they departed from the store.

"What should we do now?" asked Marianne to Byleth.

"Getting the supplies turned out to be easier than expected, so we don't have to head back to the monastery right away. While we're still here, would you like to get something to eat?"

"That sounds nice," said Marianne in a jovial tone.

The two decided that they would try and find a restaurant that wasn't too crowded for them to eat at. Shopping, linking arms, and now planning on where to eat together- Byleth was content with how naturally he and Marianne could act as a couple, and also enjoyed experiencing the basic simplicities that life had to offer with her. Marianne likewise felt the same and the large crowds of the town no longer seemed to bother her anymore. They continued on with their walk, and after finding a nearby restaurant, they were seated, placed their orders, and began to wait for their food. As they sat together, Marianne and Byleth made small talk with each other. He found that the two of them were getting much better at it since their first teatime together and came to enjoy seeing Marianne show a bit of passion when she talked about subjects that she found interesting.

"Professor, have you read about the deer that watch over the Leicester Alliance territory?"

He shook his head.

"Oh, well there's this one book that I used to read when I was a little girl and the main character reminded me of you?"

"How so?"

"Well at first he was very distant and almost seemed intimidating to be around, but eventually others discovered that he's actually very thoughtful and kind and always watches over those in need."

"I'm glad you think that I'm similar to him," said Byleth with a smile. "But where do the deer eventually come in at?"

"The protagonist gets turned into a deer at the end of the story and goes on to watch over the Alliance territory for several hundreds of years. It's an old Alliance legend that my father used to read to me when I was a little girl and I've liked it ever since."

"He sounds like he was good man."

"He was."

Just as they had finished their conversation their food had arrived and the two quickly began to consume their meals. The events of the day had caused them to forget just how hungry they were until recently and by this point, they were practically starving. It did not take long for them to finish their food, but as they did Marianne began to speak up.

"Professor, you've got some of your food on the side of your cheek," said Marianne with a giggle.

"Oh!" said an embarrassed Byleth.

He quickly took his napkin and tried to remove the remnants from his face, however upon seeing that he missed a spot, Marianne decided to take the initiative and to provide some aid to him.

"Here, let me help."

Taking the napkin from him she gently dabbed the side of his cheek. The sudden gesture took Byleth by surprise, but he tried his best to stay calm so as to not make Marianne feel self-conscious. Luckily, he was able to do this and after Marianne had finished, she retracted her arm and a soft blush appeared across her face.

"I hope that wasn't wrong of me," said Marianne.

"No, you're fine. I'd rather not walk through town with food stuck to my face."

The two shared a laugh together before hearing a rather loud noise elsewhere in the restaurant. Quickly turning around with the rest of the diners, they saw that a man had had water poured on him by another girl.

"Professor, is that Sylvain?" asked Marianne.

"Unfortunately, yes. If I had to guess it looks like another girl caught him having lunch with someone new," replied Byleth.

"Should we help him?"

"No, I think it's a good lesson for him."

"I'm sure he already knows not to cheat," commented Marianne.

"No, the lesson is that he should have finished his work at the monastery before leaving to hit on girls."

Byleth quickly paid for their lunch and left with Marianne in hopes that they would not have to see any other girls take vengeance upon Sylvain. Currently, they would have time for one more activity before they had to return to Garreg Mach, so Byleth began thinking of ways to spend the last remaining bit of time that they had. Being unfamiliar with this town, it was hard to consider what else they could do while here, however before he had much time to ponder, Marianne spoke up instead.

"Professor, do we still have time to do one last thing?"

Byleth gave her a nod.

"Oh, good! Um, actually what I wanted to do was get our picture drawn while we were here."

"That sounds like a fine idea. Did you see anyone that could do it?"

"Yes, I saw another couple getting theirs drawn when we first entered in… Oh! I-I hope that didn't sound brazen! I mean-"

He gave her a reassuring smile and she stopped stammering in embarrassment. He was glad that she wanted to have her picture drawn with him and felt delighted in knowing that she was fond enough of this day to memorialize it in paper. Knowing that his efforts had paid off and that she was happy was reward enough for him. And so, as they had done repeatedly throughout the day, they walked arm in arm towards their next destination. Arriving at a small stand with a wooden bench, they saw an old man with canvas paper and art supplies sitting down.

"Hello there, care for a portrait of you two together?" asked the old artist.

Marianne and Byleth both said yes and sat down on the bench with the artist sitting across from them on his own chair. He prepared a new sheet of canvas paper and was about to start drawing before making a comment about the two of them.

"Hey now, get closer to each other. You lovebirds aren't fooling anyone with that reserved distance," said he with a smirk.

Marianne and Byleth both blushed and felt flustered, but the two did move closer to each other as they tried to compose themselves. They were now shoulder to shoulder and Marianne had once again wrapped her arm around Byleth's. After asking for the two of them to smile, he began to draw the both of them. It did not take too long for him to finish their portrait, and afterwards he presented the drawing to the two of them.

"It's lovely," said Marianne with a sweet smile.

Byleth also agreed with Marianne and thought that the old artist had done a fine job of capturing their likeliness. Furthermore, for brief moment the drawing had caused Byleth to begin thinking of the future; not of a future filled with battle, but one where he and Marianne could simply live out their lives in peace and happiness together. A future where he would be able to see her every day and be able to share each night and each morning with her. To eat, clean, laugh, and cry with her. To enjoy the tranquility of being in each other's company- this was a life that he had not recognized that he had wanted up until he had met Marianne. He realized that she and his students had changed him for the better, and that he wanted to continue to grow and continue to change alongside Marianne.

It was a fine fantasy, however Byleth soon felt Marianne slowly begin to tug on his arm which began to snap him out of his daydream.

"Ready to go?" asked a serene Marianne.

"Yeah," replied Byleth with a smile.

Marianne paid the artist for his work and the two slowly began to make their way out of the town. Their day together had been perfect, and neither would trade the memory of this day for anything. However, they did eventually arrive back to where they had left Dorte and it was now time for them to return to the monastery. A feeling of bitterness began to fall upon the both of them as the realization that this day would soon be coming to an end was now present in their minds. They would now have to return to Garreg Mach and would have to live with the reality that the crisis of battle would eventually be upon them.

"Um, Professor. I got you something from earlier. I hope you'll like it. If not, I'll understand though."

Byleth was surprised that she had gotten him something, and as she slowly reached into the bag that she had been carrying she pulled out a small music box and presented it to him.

"This is a music box," said Byleth.

"Yes. I'm not sure if you'd find something so delicate to be of any value to you, but I thought that you might like it."

He gently began to turn the windup key and the music box then began to play a soft melody for him. It was restful and gentle, and the tune reminded him of Marianne.

"It's perfect," said Byleth with a smile, "Thank you, Marianne."

She returned his smile with her own as the music box continued to play its soothing tone. After a few more moments, the music box had finished its melody and Byleth and Marianne were once again left to each other.

"Professor, do you think we'll be okay? Will we win this fight against Edlegard?"

He was quiet and thought to himself for a moment about his next choice of words.

"I can't guarantee if we'll win or lose, I'm sorry, Marianne... But, what I can promise you is that I will keep you safe and that I will come back to you. No matter what happens."


	16. That Night Five Years Ago

The sweet and gentle song of the music box tenderly chimed through the brisk winds of the Ethereal Moon as the final notes elegantly glided through Byleth's ears. The music box, a gift that he had received from Marianne five years ago, was one of the only few remaining mementos of the carefree days that the professor had once shared with his students at Garreg Mach Monastery. Laughing, learning, and scheming with Claude and the Golden Deer; these bygone days of joy and amusement were quickly taken from the professor in the blink of an eye, and now existed only as memories of a distant past that was far behind him. He and the entirety of Fódlan were now locked into a bitter war for survival against The Empire, and as of now it showed no signs of ceasing anytime soon. The world was suffering greatly from the years of relentless strife and much had been lost ever since the professor had disappeared. Yet, in spite of this, Byleth was not completely desolated by the chaos that he had awoken to. Five years ago, he had promised that he would reunite with his students, and fortunately he had fulfilled this promise to each of them. Seeing them after such a long absence and being able to observe their newfound maturity gave him hope, not just for the end of the war, but for a brighter tomorrow as well. They were no longer kids who relied solely on him; they were now young adults with the potential to shape the world if they desired it. To bring about a new age in Fódlan- it was an inspiring thought that Byleth began to reflect upon for some time. However, as he continued to reflect, he began to notice that a figure had begun to stand next to him and he was slowly awoken from his hopeful daydream.

"Professor, it's absolutely freezing out here! What made you come here at this hour?" asked the gentle voice of Marianne.

Marianne, the once insecure and despondent young girl with no hope for her future now stood next to him on the destroyed, yet still elegant grounds of the Garreg Mach cathedral. In the past, solitude and suffering had been the claimants of her life, but during these five years Byleth had come to see that this was no longer the case. The darkness that had once plagued her had almost completely vanished, and Byleth was beyond grateful that she had discovered what had always been true about herself. That her life was precious and invaluable. He was extremely proud of her, and as he turned his head to speak to her, he began to gaze into her eyes, eyes that now looked like the dawn itself.

"I could ask you the same question," said Byleth in a playful tone, "What brought you here?"

"I was actually looking for you," replied Marianne, "Yesterday, when we spoke about the future, I realized that there was something that I didn't get the chance to tell you. Do you have a moment to listen?"

Byleth gave her a nod as she turned her body to face his. The two now stood across from each other as Marianne lowered her head and took in a deep breath.

"Do you remember the promise that you made to me five years ago when we went into town?"

"To return to you no matter what the outcome of this war was?" asked Byleth.

"Yes, the very same… When I first heard those words from you, I couldn't help but feel overjoyed. It had been so long since anyone had cared so deeply about me, and I was delighted that you promised to stay by my side to support me and to watch over me. But, when The Empire marched on the monastery and you went missing for five years I…I began to doubt you… I doubted you, your kindness, and even the chance that I could someday find happiness in my life. I cursed and hated that I was ever born, and couldn't bear knowing that you died while I still lived. I felt as though I had no purpose in this world. Had it not been for Hilda and Claude and the others I… I might have…k-killed-"

Tears now began to slowly stream down her cheeks as she recounted her memories from five years ago. Raising his hand to her face, Byleth gently brushed aside her tears as Marianne's eyes slowly began to look up towards his again. His hand now rested on her cheek and when she looked at him, she saw that his gaze was not a judgmental one, but rather one of compassion and comfort. She had seen this gaze many times on his face when she was still a student under his tutelage. It was the same gaze that told her that he would always be there for her regardless of what circumstances she may have found herself in. His presence was reassuring to her, and taking in another breath, she began to speak truthfully and sincerely to Byleth.

"What I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry for the way that I was in the past and I'm sorry for not believing in you. Even after I saw you yesterday, I thought that you were a ghost... I'm such a fool," said Marianne with a sheepish smile on her face.

Byleth reached down and took Marianne's hand into his own. Giving it a squeeze and returning a smile, he began to softly speak to her as they both shared a heartfelt moment between each other.

"It's alright, Marianne. Those days are over now. Also, I can't blame you for believing that I was dead or a ghost. There was no sign of me for five years. All that I want you to know is that I'm proud of you and that I still want to chase the future with you, just like I told you before."

A surge of gratitude and affection swelled within Marianne upon hearing Byleth's compassionate and kindhearted words. Knowing that the professor still wanted to seek the future with her in spite of her past flaws caused her to move closer to Byleth as she wrapped him in her embrace. Placing her head on his chest, she held him close as Byleth returned her gesture and rested his head atop of hers. The two stood silently as they kept each other warm on that cold night of the Ethereal Moon. All felt right in this moment as they basked in their shared comfort. They remained as such for quite some time, before a thought appeared within Marianne's mind that she wanted to share with Byleth.

"Um, Professor?" asked Marianne as she stepped back from him, "Do you remember that the ball was on this night five years ago?"

"Oh, right," replied Byleth to her question, "It was a nice night."

"I'm glad to hear so. I didn't really do much dancing that night, but I really did enjoy dancing with you," said a shy Marianne.

"I feel the same," replied Byleth with a smile.

An awkward silence fell upon them.

"Right, well um, what I'm trying to ask is would you like to dance with me?

"Huh?" replied Byleth in a surprised tone.

Marianne now began to quickly stammer out her words as she tried to explain herself to the professor.

"I-I still feel really bad about not being able to finish my dance with you from last time, a-and I just figured that since we're alone now would be a good time to do it. Unless you don't want to, I-I'll understand."

"N-no!" replied Byleth in a quick and pronounced tone. "I just… didn't expect the question. I'd love to dance with you, Marianne."

The two were now abashed at their shared inability to simply communicate a request with one another, but regardless both were still glad that they would be able to dance together as they had five years ago. Not wanting to drag this moment out any longer, both simply pushed their feelings aside and made attempts to compose themselves. Byleth, reaching into his pocket, pulled out the music box and began to twist the windup key on the small device. After sufficiently turning it a number of times, music slowly began to appear from the small contraption as the two took each other into their arms. Byleth rested his hand on Marianne's waist and she rested hers on top of his shoulder. Their remaining hands then joined with each other as the two slowly began to waltz with one another.

Still feeling a bit blushed from before, Byleth and Marianne jerkily moved with one another as they tried to find a common pace between the both of them. While they did not look awkward together as they waltzed, it would have been clear to anyone that these two did not have much experience when it came to dancing and probably did not dance with each other very often. Still, for two individuals who cared for each other on such a deep and devout level, this was not something that they would not be able to overcome, and eventually as they continued to dance, they began to feel more natural and linked to one another. They now started to feel as one, and soon the same patterns and emotions that were present in them from five years ago also began to manifest themselves in their dancing. Byleth was now slowly beginning to relax and was once again captivated by both the beauty and gracefulness of Marianne and her movements. The pale moonlight that shined upon them had elegantly illuminated Marianne's loveliness and Byleth could do nothing but focus purely on her and on the music. Swaying with her made him feel like he was flying, and he felt as though he were in a beautiful dream with Marianne. With each step and turn, he was reminded of how precious she was to him and how far the two of them had come since meeting each other. From their strained first meetings to their present moments of fondness, Byleth came to realize that Marianne was the most precious thing in his life and that there was almost nothing that he wouldn't do ensure that she knew how much she truly meant to him.

To be precious and to have something precious to hold on to. Marianne had come to recognize that she no longer had to be alone and that Byleth had shown her that she could not only love but also be loved as well. It was a cherished thought in her mind as the two of them gracefully waltzed to the song of the music box. Marianne was now resting her head on his chest again as the two slowly swayed to the gentle notes that floated into their ears. Her emotions were causing her heart to slowly, but powerfully beat within her breast as she held tightly to the one that she felt at peace with. Turning once again with him, their shared intimate dance heightened her sensations and stirred the feelings of affection within her heart. She interlocked her fingers with his as Byleth gently drew her tightly into him. Both had now closed their eyes- guided only by the deep connection that the two felt when with one another.

Just as it was five years ago, the world around them had fallen away as they slowly glided across the cathedral floor. In this moment only Byleth and Marianne remained- there was no Empire, nor Kingdom, nor Alliance. They only had each other on this night that was reminiscent of that night from long ago, and neither would want to spend it with anyone else. Byleth and Marianne continued to waltz for some time and had become so spellbound by each other that neither one of them noticed that the music box had stopped playing its song some moments ago. Nevertheless, the two continued to dance as if nothing had changed- no longer needing to rely on music to guide their movements with one another. Their waltz continued for some moments before both were overwhelmed by the feelings that they shared for one another. These intense feelings of warmth and affection brought a pause to their dance as the two slowly began to open their eyes. Byleth and Marianne now tenderly gazed at one another as they stood breathlessly before each other. As they looked into each other's eyes, no thoughts passed through their minds; all that remained were the strong feelings that they both shared for one another. Overcome by yearning and longing, Marianne slowly began to raise her head to Byleth as he slowly began to lower his to hers. They had both shut their eyes again as each passing moment brought their lips closer and closer to one another- their feelings to finally be shared between the two of them. Closer, and closer, and closer- both minds empty yet both hearts full as they drew nearer and nearer beneath the moonlit sky.

"Hey, Teach! Teach?! Where are you?" rang the voice of Claude like a gong.

Marianne and Byleth broke away from each other at a lightning like speeds as Claude slowly made his way into the cathedral. Both of their bodies were now pounding as blood rushed through their veins- their shared kiss interrupted before it could begin.

"Teach? Oh, there you are. Hey, Marianne, nice to see you too!"

"C-Claude?! W-what are you doing here?!" asked Marianne in a frantic tone?

"Huh?" replied Claude in a very confused and concerned tone. "I was just looking for Teach. There's this new scheme that I wanted to try out where I shoot an arrow into the sky while he distracts an opponent before it lands on them. It's got a lot of potential to be a real showstopper…although now I feel like I interrupted something. You didn't need him for anything did you?"

"Um, no, w-what makes you say that?" replied Marianne.

"I'll uh… be down in a moment. Meet you outside in a bit," said the professor in an awkward tone.

Claude gave a confused 'right then' as he turned around, waved, and headed out from the cathedral. With him gone, Marianne and Byleth were now left to themselves once again. Unfortunately, both knew that their dance was more than likely over for now, and both also knew that they now had to return to reality and to the present situation. They were disappointed that such a fine moment had been taken from them, and neither really knew how to discuss what had just transpired between the two of them. At the moment, it seemed like they had more questions than answers, and the war was not going to afford them any time to dwell on these uncertainties. Furthermore, they could not do so in the first place. A war was no place to deal with love, especially considering the fact that both of them could die at any given moment. It was a sad and bitter realization for the two of them, but at the same time it also gave them hope. Both realized that tonight was special, and Marianne and Byleth now felt determined to end the war as quickly as possible so that they could have other moments like these in the future. Their loving occurrence may have been over for now, but that did not mean that it could not happen again in a peaceful and tranquil Fódlan.

"You know, Claude may have almost given me a heart attack, but I'm really glad that you and I were able to finish our dance after all this time," said Marianne to the professor.

"I feel the same way," replied Byleth with a smile. "It was nice to be able to forget about the war for a while."

"Yes, and we'll also be able to spend more time like this together once the war is brought to an end. Don't you agree, Professor?"

He gave her a nod and began to speak once again.

"Once this war is over, I promise that you will be the first person that I dance with," said Byleth with a gentle smile.

"I'll hold you to that," replied Marianne with a soft giggle.

With that, she bade the professor a good night as she made her way from the cathedral. Byleth looked on as she departed from him and stood in silence for a moment as he once again thought about how far he and Marianne had come since they initially met five years ago. Marianne, who was once a pitiful and woeful student of his had now grown into a strong and endearing individual that held his heart and that gave him something to fight for. Regardless of any conflicts or dangers that may befall them, Byleth vowed that he would always keep her safe and that he would support her down the path that she now walked. The two had shared a variety of fun, quirky, suspenseful, and intimate interactions in the past, and Byleth wanted to ensure that they would be able to experience many more of these in a brighter and peaceful Fódlan. The former life that he had lived as a mercenary was no longer the life that defined him. He had others to care for and to watch over now, but most importantly he had Marianne von Edmund as the center of his world. Marianne was priceless to him and she was the only one with whom he could truly experience such bliss with. He could not imagine living a life without her in it, nor would he ever want to dream of a life like that. From deep within his very being he knew that his heart danced for her and that her heart danced for him in this everlasting waltz that was called life.

The End

**Author's Notes: A special thank you to everyone that found this story to be enjoyable and that stuck with it in spite of my long chapter breaks (Haha, sorry). This story was the first fanfiction that I've ever written, and I could not have gotten through it without all of your kind words of encouragement and with your constructive feedback. Hopefully, I'll be able to write more stories about Marianne and Byleth in the future. Lastly, I hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all!**


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